Confessions of an Un-Runner

The Writing Continues...

2011-11-14T12:50:00.003-05:00

but not on this site! Feel free to browse and read about the crazy years - but we're all older, wiser and much more organized, now!

You can follow the adventure at http://midshorelife.com/blogger/confessions-un-runner. You can also find more by googling Cyndi Paxton Johnson.

For those of you still experiencing "The Crazy Years", filled with messes, whiny children, isolation and the death of brain cells - take heart - it DOES get better! Your children will eventually become responsible and start cleaning up rather than tearing down, you will eventually have - and maintain - independent thought again, and your friendships will be formed by who you are, not how you're living.

And, although my life was crazy, my kids have grown into amazing, responsible, loving human beings. So...... it was all worth it!

Namaste!

Rumors of Sunshine

2009-04-23T16:13:00.002-05:00

Hold onto your hats! The sun has been spotted, albeit infrequently, on Maryland's mid-shore! This has been the rainiest April in recent memory (which may not be saying all that much). It's reported an incredible double rainbow was spotted last night over Easton (I missed it, though). Today has been rain-free, but chilly.

According to the song, "April showers bring May flowers". At our house - a month of rain has resulted in an overly healthy yard. The grass is growing so fast you can almost see it! The flies and mosquitoes are already gathering - the chickens are happily pecking for bugs - and the multitudes of birds in the treetops fill the skies with song. It feels like...Spring!

Having said that - there's a frost warning for tonight - so don't get carried away gardening! According to my cold toes - it's not THAT much like spring!

Gifts

2009-04-11T18:09:00.002-05:00

Rain...sunshine...rain...fog...rain....sunshine....snow....rain...

I'm afraid the weather has been mimicking my emotional state lately - up, down, up, down. Sorry, everyone! (although I DID get a kick out of the snow flurries) For the emotional and meteorologic fans out there - I predict increasingly warmer weather and calm seas ahead!

There's nothing like a change of scenery, good friends, good news, and a bulldog to help you find the sunny side of the street! And...it's good to be home again!

Thank you, Universe!

For everything.

Daring to Disagree

2009-01-16T16:43:00.002-05:00

Here's a question for the Universe...

How do you disagree with good friends without things turning ugly? It's taken me a long time to get to the place where I'll actually tell a friend they've hurt my feelings - that the situation could have been handled differently. I used to always bury my feelings and pretend nothing had happened - because I knew the friend would feel attacked if I dared to share that I felt hurt by her words or her choices.

Now I speak up, rewriting many times, until I'm able to share my feelings with a friend without sounding accusing. (because I don't filter too well face to face) Doesn't seem to matter. No matter how gently I think I'm treading I squash someone's tail.

What's the solution? Not saying anything in the first place? Letting things blow up, then moving on without addressing the problem?

Disagreements are a part of life, a part of relationships. What's the best way to handle them???

Know What?

2009-01-09T17:31:00.003-05:00

My kids are cool. They make me crazy - but they're awesome. This just came in my email - which means I'll have to keep them, I guess!

Actually, they're turning out to be more computer savvy than I - it's a bit scary. The youngest is running around in a too short spiderman suit. He looks like a blue and red string bean. He's very funny.

As for me - I had a tooth rebuilt this morning - and it hurts a bit. AND...I have to go back next week for more work. Did I mention I am TERRIFIED of the dentist? Cold sweat and heart palpitation afraid? Yup....that would be me. So...the card from the girls is quite a boost to my day!

Now all I need is wine...

It's a Brand New Year!

2009-01-04T09:29:00.002-05:00

There's nothing like a new year to have you scribbling away madly at goals and to-do lists! I always feel like I'm torn in so many directions at once; how do I juggle homemaking, homeschooling, extended family, writing, business goals, creative projects, errands, non-profit commitments and friends into something that occasionally works??? Oh wait - I forgot home maintenance and renovation! (and probably at least 20 more "hot" topics that require my attention!)

For housecleaning, there's Flylady & Motivated Moms that provide me with daily lists of things to accomplish. There's also the time commitment of assigning the kids rotating chores - then making sure they actually do them! For homeschooling I've devised my own schedule of activities - but they tend to take a LOT longer to muddle through than I'd like! How many hours does it take to do two pages of math, anyway! The errands just fall where they will - but they almost always take an entire day! (by the time I have to drive an hour to get anywhere - I try to get the most bang for my gasoline!)

Let's not forget COOKING! One must figure out WHAT's for dinner, assemble the ingredients, cook the food, then deal with clean-up, leftovers and complaints from small people who hate onions and mushrooms. Even though they ate onions and mushrooms two days ago, without pause.

Then we get to the tricky stuff - 1)earning money and 2)fulfilling lifelong goals & dreams. If you work someplace other than the home your tasks are separate and distinct. If you need to find time, place & brain power to accomplish this amidst kids & chaos, things get more complicated. I'm still trying to figure out a reasonable schedule & to-do list that incorporates business into 24/7 kids.

And then there's your lifetime goals - which get more urgent as more birthdays creep along. For me - writing. And publishing. When do I do this? And is this more or less important than the business goals which actually feed our family?

I've decided that 2009 will be the year of abundance - the year of the Midas Touch. The year that everything I dedicate my time and energies to will bring forth fruit - and success. I'm done spinning my wheels - it's time to burn rubber and move!

Therefore, this year's blog will help me - and you - find methods that allow us to live the lives we imagine - filled with purpose, abundance, love and joy!

And so here's to 2009 - and US!

Namaste!

It's Winter....Yay???

2008-12-23T12:11:00.004-05:00

It is indeed, officially, winter. I was quite excited when my daughter informed me of this - the twenty degree temperatures and 25 mile per hour winds hadn't tipped me off. The craziness of December is almost over - just the food dilemma remains. We're preparing to snuggle into our drafty abode and ride out January - while waiting to see if the kids develop chicken pox.

We've stacked up on books - my 10 year old and 7 year old are into the Harry Potter series - as evidenced by jumping children throwing spells at their siblings. We've had to institute a few rules....1) no unforgivable curses and 2)you may NOT use knitting needles as wands. I'm pretty sure more rules will be added on a regular basis.

I finished and mailed the baby kimono and hat to my great nephew yesterday. It's not perfect - but it looks pretty good AND I finished it before he was 3 weeks old - I'm pretty excited! Yay, Me!

Our chickens are laying beautiful brown or green eggs! We're getting about 5-6 eggs per day - from eight hens. They free range in our fenced back yard - with only occasional escapes. We're talking about adding a few more chickens - but will have to screen in the back porch or something. The amount of chicken poop piling up is starting to be alarming. We figure we'll have to cut the grass twice a week next summer, after all that fertilizer!

We're busy with Mid Shore Life Magazine - and looking for more local submissions - if you're on the eastern shore. It's been fun visiting local places and writing about them.

Happy Holidays, my friends. May the new year bring peace, joy and abundance -in all things.

Namaste!

Knitting? Kno Problem!

2008-12-07T19:50:00.002-05:00

Ok, here's the thing. It takes awhile for my talent to catch up with my imagination. (think...millennium) I can visualize something quite clearly - producing it...well, that's another story.

Case in point: I have been actively attempting to knit a baby hat and kimono for my nephew's new son. I've been working for over a month, the baby arrived yesterday. There's a small caveat - I don't knit. Well, I've made lumpy scarves - but that's it.

No matter. THIS child would have something lovingly created by my own hands. I was in California in September, saying goodbye to this child's grandfather, my brother. David succumbed to the cancer invading his body just a week later. This child will carry my brother's name - and his heart. I'm so very, very happy about that.

But...I still need to finish the kimono. I did manage to learn how to knit in the round (on four needles!) and made a darn cute baby hat! The first two went to my girls - they would only fit dolls. (I'm hoping this babe's head isn't overly large!)It's the kimono that's giving me issues. It didn't help that last night the dog splashed my "It's a boy" glass of celebratory wine onto the unfinished garment. My wonderful husband helped me get out the stains - through my sobs. (note to self: don't knit and drink - I had to remake the top of the baby hat for that very reason!)

So....It's only halfway done - the easy half. I'm not sure I even understand the directions for finishing the neckline - let alone have the talent to carry it off.

I WILL finish - and it WILL fit! Right??????

Namaste.

The Un-Runner has been Sighted!

2008-12-06T20:31:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time....getting from there to here! (from the title song of Enterprise, in case you wondered)

I've been pretty busy lately - but not on the Un-Runner blog! Sorry! My writing workload has been focused on www.MidShoreLife.com - our new website for promoting life on the Mid-Shore! Please check it out - we're really working hard on getting it together!

On the homefront - we have eggs! Five of our eight chickens have found there place in the universe - and the others are taunted daily with the promise of "Chicken & Dumplings"! Our eggs are mostly shades of brown, with an occasional green egg from one of our Americana hens! The hens are a hoot - they follow us around the yard, pecking at our shoes. Sometimes they gang up on the back porch and start screaming for corn. I'm giving them vegetable scraps & bread crusts along with the corn as treats - but they really prefer the corn!

Now....about the eggs. I've been buying free range organic eggs from the Amish Market. I really didn't think our eggs would taste any differently. I was wrong.

O.M.G.!!! I had NO idea eggs could taste this good! Maybe because they free range in our back yard? The yolks are dark orange red - cheddar cheese pales in comparison.They really are incredible! I had no idea. I'm SO glad we got chickens!

Who knew?

I'll still be posting family stuff on this site - but please, please, PLEASE check out www.MidShoreLife.com frequently - most of my non-personal musings will be on there!

Thank you - and Enjoy!

Namaste!

Sheep riding? Bull Hockey!

2008-08-20T06:45:00.000-05:00

I live in the country, surrounded by farm animals and miles of corn and soybeans. I lived in New York City for close to a decade, surrounded by concrete, steel and six or seven million people all wanting to live on the same three square miles. For the remaining years I existed in Suburbia, complete with strip malls, parking lots and overprotective mothers. My point being – I have not lived an isolated life – I’ve been around. I didn’t think there was much left on U.S. soil that could surprise me!

And then my family attended our first rodeo.

I’ve seen rodeo events on television – I knew to expect the barrel racing, the bronco riding, and the bull riding. I knew, theoretically, that such events are dangerous. I wasn’t prepared for the adrenaline and pure terror rush of seeing a 3,000 pound bull stomp on a 150 pound man. I screamed and yelled myself hoarse – and I’m NOT a screamer. My poor girls had their heads buried in my armpits as they sobbed with terror. I kept reassuring them that 1) the cowboys were professionals, they knew what they were doing and they did it often and 2) they were doing this because they loved it and 3) they were all probably a wee bit funny in the head.

The kids weren’t impressed: the girls kept asking to leave (but we were on the top of the crowded bleachers) and the boy just pulled out a book and read. I basically told them to suck it up – it wasn’t THAT bad!

And then we entered the stupid zone. Otherwise known as audience participation.

First came the small children, riding really ticked off sheep. A three year old child was released from the shoot hanging tightly onto the neck of a large sheep that did NOT want to be there and did NOT want this wee child riding it! The sheep darted this way and that as the child fell sideways off of the sheep dangerously close to the animal’s pounding hooves. The second child, also age three, held on longer and barely missed having his small, unprotected head rammed into the metal fencepost at an alarming speed. The sheep then vaulted the child over its head and the child landed, face-first and open-mouthed, in the dirt. The weeping toddler was carried off the field.

To be fair, the children, aged three through six, seemed to be having a wonderful time. But I was shocked on many levels. One, the children did NOT wear protective headgear – how insane is that? And that’s only an issue after you’ve decided, as a parent, to put your toddler on the back of a sheep (NOT an animal designed or trained for carrying people) and hope for the best while you laugh and take pictures! I still won’t let our seven year old cross our narrow, country street to get the mail – because I’m not convinced he’ll be safe!

And then I realized it was some genetic bent towards “stupid rodeo tricks” that allowed parents to volunteer their offspring. I’ll explain…

The next game was “Bull Hockey” and they asked for volunteers. My husband and I figured it was a hockey game played with manure – stinky but safe.

We were wrong.

Eight men volunteered to enter the arena after signing waivers guaranteeing they wouldn’t sue in case of death or dismemberment. These men formed two teams with each team having a “goal” zone made by metal barrels. The professional cowboys and the bull fighter (rodeo clown) LEFT the field to these idiots then released one large, horned, angry bull. The men were instructed to make the bull go through their team’s goal.

The brain-damaged males then attempted to grab the bull and direct him through their team’s goals. The bull, surprisingly, was not amenable to this task, and proceeded to attempt to shish-kebob the testosterone soaked cretins that were interrupting his day. One man received a slash to his face that would require stitches, and another fell under the bull’s stomping hooves. He was able to scoot under the gate to safety while a team member pummeled the bull’s head to distract the animal from the kill zone.

Finally, after an eternity, the buzzer sounded and professional cowboys entered the arena to guide the animal away. I ceased screaming and dug my children out from the floorboards – it was over! My husband directed my attention to the arena where the men were AGAIN forming sides in preparation for the next bull. The idiots were going to do it again!!!

At this point we grabbed our children and bags and pushed through the people below us until we were close enough to the ground to jump off the side of the bleachers. It was over the children’s heads – but they vaulted to the ground without hesitation - and kept running. We were close on their heels as the five of us sprinted away from the crowd’s roar towards safety and sanity.

I could be wrong, but I’m thinking we’re just not “rodeo” people!

Our Diet: The Cure for What Ails Us?

2008-08-08T15:33:00.011-05:00

I hate change. First of all, it’s work. You have to actually think about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and how you’re going to pull it off. It’s much easier to just maintain the old comfortable status quo, regardless of the dangers. Secondly, change upsets everyone close to you, since they are much more comfortable with you maintaining the status quo, as well. And third, change – to be effective – must be maintained. Which puts us back to numbers one and two – it’s work and it annoys your loved ones.

However, positive change is always worth the effort and the arguments. And sometimes, it’s even tasty!

Case in point: my mother was recently diagnosed with diabetes – on top of her high cholesterol and high blood pressure. She’s not alone. In 2007, 23.6 million Americans had diabetes, 73 million had high blood pressure and 101 million Americans had high cholesterol levels. Most newly diagnosed diabetics have been treated for high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Let’s face it: when it comes to being a healthy nation – we suck!

My mother was adamant about not adding another medicine to her already impressive repertoire. An Amazon search provided us with several books on the subject and within days we were reading Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes (Neal Barnard, M.D.) and The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle (Franklin House, M.D., Stuart Seale, M.D., and Ian Blake Newman). To our surprise, both books recommend similar lifestyle changes – a vegan diet!

To be vegan is to ingest only plant based foods. That means, in addition to eliminating meat and seafood you’ll be cutting out eggs, milk and dairy products as well. This sounded a tad… well…weird, so I read both books thoroughly and did online research, as well. Several studies compared a vegan diet to the ADA (American Diabetes Association) recommended diet with startling results. The followers of the vegan diet had fasting blood sugar levels 59% lower than their ADA counterparts, and were able to reduce or eliminate their medication and still control their glucose levels. The vegan group also lost twice as much weight as the ADA group. It’s important to note that the ADA diet is a much healthier diet than most Americans enjoy. It includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean chicken and fish. Yet this group still relied heavily on medication to control their disease.

Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes does an excellent job of explaining the disease and the cure, as well giving easy directions for beginning a vegan lifestyle. The recipe’s were simple and tasty, including vegetarian refried beans and Thai-style coleslaw. We were able to pick up all the necessary ingredients at the local grocery store, but an hour drive to the nearest Trader Joe’s grocery store saved us a wad of cash. I also visited a nearby Amish marketplace to stock up on assorted whole grains and dried beans.

We returned home with bags of brown rice, 9-grain mix, quinoa, whole grain tortillas, sprouted grain cinnamon raison bread, hummus, tofu, veggies, soymilk and assorted vegan “meat” products. We were ready!

My goal was to find simple foods that my mother could put together without much thought or prep time. It’s important to start the day with plenty of whole grains, so I tried various grains (steel cut oats, 9-grain cracked cereal) in the slow cooker overnight. They were edible, but too creamy (read mushy) for my taste. I much prefer putting the grains in a heavy pot over medium heat and toasting them somewhat, then adding the appropriate amount of water. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat, and simmer til done (about 20 minutes for flaked grains, or 45 minutes for whole grains). Then I add various dried fruit (you can cook the fruit along with the grains, to plump them), seeds or ground flaxseed and maybe some soymilk and agave sweetener. Delicious! Any extra goes into the fridge for a snack or next day’s breakfast!

Another book I devoured was Vegan Express, by Nava Atlas. Her recipes were simple and delicious! For example, cubed tofu fried in a tablespoon each of olive oil, soy sauce and agave sweetener is quick and amazingly good, even to tofu newbies! Even my ten year old daughter gave the tofu a thumbs up – possibly because it included nothing green!
Other recipes included Nearly Instant Thai Coconut Corn Soup and Thai Pineapple Stir-Fried Rice (ok, I like Thai food – but she had a LOT of other recipes, too!)

Many tasty meals required no recipes. I threw lentils, onions & garlic, shredded carrots and kale into a crock-pot with some vegetarian broth and extra water one morning, and we returned home to a nutritious, yummy stew! For lunch we’d layer hummus, Thai-broccoli coleslaw, vegetarian re-fried beans and fresh salsa into a whole grain wrap – it was amazing! As good as any restaurant food I’ve ever purchased!

I learned about being vegan to help improve my mother’s health. After enjoying the foods for a few days and reading about the overall health benefits of the lifestyle, I decided to try it myself!

My mother and I are both feeling fantastic on this whole foods approach to life! We have plenty of energy and are both enjoying losing weight without feeling hungry! I have no doubt that this diet will not only help her diabetes, but her high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and her diverticulitis!

If you’re interested in reversing disease and enjoying good health, I recommend getting Dr. Barnard’s book, as the vegan diet does take planning. It’s important to make sure you get enough protein: beans, lentils, tofu, soymilk, etc. It’s also important to take a B-12 supplement, since B-12 is found primarily in organ meats, eggs & milk. From my own lessons from the front: make sure you have quick food on hand and eat some kind of food every few hours or so. Don’t let yourself get depleted and hungry. (I postponed lunch for an hour while I ran errands, and felt horrible. It took two cucumber & hummus sandwiches, a glass of water and a glass of soy milk before I finally felt human again.) Remember to drink plenty of water! We almost never drink enough, and our bodies crave that simple refreshment.

Here’s to our Health! Here’s to living long and joyously! If these books and studies are correct, we need not resign ourselves to the inevitable American diseases that leave us dependent on the pharmaceutical industry for our very lives. For me, that’s enough motivation to effect some serious change. To be quite honest, I don’t know that I’ll remain vegan forever. I’m committing to it for a month to see how I feel. Then I’ll try occasionally adding milk and eggs and see if there’s an effect. I may eventually even splurge on a steak, I’m not sure. The danger is in slipping back into the American eating habits that are killing us. But I’d really like to have the occasional egg – we just got chickens!

If you are ready to eat for your health, be prepared for plenty of grief. I think folks tend to believe the commercials about how milk does a body good, or how our bodies need animal protein to survive. We can’t live on lettuce alone, true – and I certainly wouldn’t want to. But whole, healthy foods taste fantastic – and leave me feeling much more satisfied than a greasy cheeseburger or heavy macaroni and cheese. But it’s hard to give up our comfort food, and friends will be happy to talk you out of such drastic change.

Why not test the waters? Get the books and do the research (and that does NOT mean asking your friends and family – trust me!) then commit to a one month trial. Get your blood levels checked before and after so you have hard numbers for the naysayers, in addition to your personal testimony.

Join me! Let’s try vegan for a month and see how we feel! What have we got to lose except fat, sludgy blood, disease and exhaustion?

I’m ready to BE the new and improved model. You?

It’s Summer – Let’s Eat!

2008-07-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

Question: What’s so great about Maryland in the summer?
Answer: The Food, of course!

Summer in Maryland can best be described with three words: Hot, Humid and Colorful. We may be wilting from the heat during the day and battling King Kong mosquitoes at night – but we’re laughing through the haze as we devour the local flavor. Summer has yet again blessed us with a cornucopia of vibrant, savory foods from local farmers.

Your local Farmers’ Market is overflowing with red, pink and yellow tomatoes, green and yellow squash, green beans, cucumbers, peaches, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and more! How about fresh free-range eggs or chickens, or some organic, grass-fed beef? And let us not neglect – the seafood! Catch the end of the blue crab season or indulge in freshly caught fish. Stock up on those fresh herbs: basil and thyme, oregano and sage.

Why buy and eat local foods? First of all, it just tastes better! It’s fresh, crisp and flavorful right out of the garden – and the nutrients pack the greatest wallop then, too! Fresh produce loses nutrients quickly, so once it’s been on a truck for a week it’s barely worth eating. Local farmers also plant more varieties of vegetables, because different strands are harvested at different times. This preserves the genetic diversity of our food, rather than settling for the one variety that produces well, withstands every hardship, and is able to be mechanically harvested without damage.

Buying local foods supports endangered family farms. Vow to spend just $8-$10 a week on local foods, and you’ll make a significant impact on your local economy and your neighborhood farmers. Talk with your local farmers at CSA’s (community supported agriculture) and Farmer’s Markets. These folks have a wealth of information that they’re happy to share – just ask! Easy recipes, information about a vegetable you’ve never tried, storage techniques: they’ll have answers!

Buying locally also reduces your own carbon footprint, as most food is transported an average of 1300 miles before it graces your table. Now let your mind envision the large, powerful corporations that make the storage and transport of your food possible. Should your precious food dollars support these environmental nightmares or might they be better used supporting your local community?

I know….it’s work. It means changing our routine and our entire thought process about our daily bread. We’ve all been sucked into believing the television commercials – that eating the processed, packaged food from South America gives us more time and allows us to live the American Dream.

But let’s review where that dream has led us. As a Nation we’re grossly overweight and pathetically unhealthy. Diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure are common afflictions leading to our support of another mega-industry – pharmaceutical. (don’t worry, that’s a rant for another day). In our grandparents generation families gathered in the kitchen and at the table – and talked as they prepared and enjoyed their foods. Today we collapse in front of the television, usually in different rooms. Something’s missing.

It’s time to re-think the American Dream.

It’s time to nourish and care for:
- our bodies
- our families
- our communities
- our nation
- our world

We can’t do everything at once – but we can commit to gradual, consistent change. For now, let’s start by buying – and eating - a few local food products each week. Go to your local Farmers’ Market or Amish Marketplace. Discover the indescribable taste of quality and freshness. Your world – and your health – may never be the same.

The Un-Runner Has Left the Driveway!

2008-07-22T10:55:00.002-05:00

Some people get stuck in non-productive ruts. Me? I head straight for the Grand Canyon of Un-Productivity. I don't know if everyone takes these unexpected detours - or if I'm just "special". (yeah, I vote "special", too!) The good news is each time I detour I lose less ground than before - and I recover quicker.

In my current quest for a doable routine that allows me to juggle the many, many plates in my life - I've gotten back to running! I've read that many, many successful people run every morning. Since I WILL be successful, I must run every morning - yes?

In an effort of full disclosure - it hasn't been EVERY morning - I tend to walk more than I run - and this morning's run got cut quite short because it had gotten waaaay too hot before I made it away from the computer and out onto the street. However - I AM making progress!

I really applaud you folks who manage to run 20 miles (Go Amy!) or bike 60. I won't be joining you, however. I'll hold down the homefront - educating the children, figuring out new ways to cook zucchini, and making sure we have plenty of iced tea! (ok - I'm also writing a book, running a writing & public speaking career, and organizing quite a few things for the local homeschooling population - but you get the idea. Most of these things do NOT require sweating.)

To be fair, my proudest accomplishment of the week: my children are doing daily household chores! Honest! The six year old vacuumed this morning and took care of the dogs, the nine & ten year olds cared for the cats & chickens then cleaned tables & emptied trash. And THEN they worked on their bedrooms! What manifested this miracle, you ask? I made a chart. Yup. Didn't even promise them anything for doing the work, just said we were ALL going to contribute to the household - a little bit every day. I don't know how long it will last - but for now it's working! (we're all a little routine challenged in this happy home)

So...we're all trying the new routines. Unfortunately, I always wear out BEFORE my schedule says it's rest time. In fact, it's now time for me to oversee the education portion of our day - and I'm not sure what we're doing yet. As Robert Frost said:

I have promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep.

ZZZZZZZZ...

Got Chickens?

2008-07-17T07:36:00.004-05:00

We do! Our eight little peeps arrived last month and have settled in nicely, thank you ! We have four different breeds - Rhode Island Red & Barred Rock (known for their prolific brown eggs), Americana (lays green/blue eggs and are very social) and Partridge Cochin (absolutely beautiful, with feathered feet!).

In another three months we should have daily fresh eggs - and they should continue to lay for 3-5 years. I'm not very clear on what will happen after that - they usually become dinner, but my children have been very, very vocal about that NOT being an option. I wasn't that concerned until I discovered that chickens can live 20-30 YEARS!!!! Are you kidding me? I think I prefer hamsters with their three year lifespan - MUCH more doable! Too bad they don't lay eggs.

Anyway, we now have a garden (and zucchini) and chickens. What's next, you ask?

Well, does anyone know anything about pygmy milk goats? (Just think, milk, butter, cheese, ice cream........)

Yup - I have issues!

Sun Salutation

2008-06-11T11:24:00.000-05:00

My vegetable garden is growing! {now watch the crazy lady dance wildly with joy!} It’s a new “first” in my life. I have actually dug and planted a garden AND I haven’t killed anything! No blossoms, yet – so I have yet to figure out the intricacies of zucchini sex. My girlfriend had to “help” her zucchini plants achieve fertilization last year – I’m still not overly clear on the method. In-vitro for vegetables? Ah well…how difficult could it be?

I am attributing my current earth goddess success to my new morning ritual, which I began in early March. Every day around dawn I trek out back to the edge of our property and look out over the wheat field and watch the sun rise.

I stretch, then pause, then take three deliberate steps. The first step is into the moment – I notice the sights, sounds, smells and textures that surround me. The dampness of the dawn, the chilly breeze that raises goose pimples on my bare arms.

Next, I step into myself. I remind myself of my gifts, my strengths and my talents. I affirm that I am capable of turning around any situation, as long as my vision remains positive and strong. I remind myself how wonderful it is to be me – and I fortunate I am to greet another incredible day. I focus on abundance in my life; abundant love, abundant opportunities, abundant resources. I smile with the absolute knowledge that I am exactly where I need to be at this time in my life.

Finally, I step into the uncertainties that the day may bring. I again acknowledge that I can successfully handle anything that comes my way. I open myself up to the gift of surprise. I breathe in the new day.

I like my daily sun salutation - it empowers me for the day ahead. And let's be honest - we can all use some help during the day!

Enjoy!

Gone to the Birds

2008-06-01T07:12:00.001-05:00

Ah, spring! There’s nothing like taking that first cup of coffee outside into the dewy morn and reveling in the spirited songs of the birds, the low hoot of an owl, and the brightness of daffodils and tulips to make you long for….chickens!
Yup…it must be spring – I’ve got chickens on the brain – again!

Please note – I am NOT a country gal. I grew up in mainstream suburbia with the requisite dogs, cats, hamsters and occasional turtle or snake (THAT one didn’t stay for long!). But my dreams were filled with visions of horses and goats and alpacas and chickens.

About five years ago we moved from a bustling suburb of DC to a country town on MD’s Eastern Shore – with an entire 1/3 of an acre to call our own. We signed several papers regarding our – and our neighbors – “right to farm”. Wisely, with three children aged five and younger and two dogs, I suspected I had all the livestock I could handle!

But the days continue to pass. The children are older, and actually help out around the house. The two dogs have been joined by three cats (country – old house – mice!) and although we’ve seen snakes in and around our home – we haven’t named them! My middle child is as animal crazy as my younger self and dreams of horses and goats and chickens – and more horses!

I’ve been considering adding a small flock of laying hens to our backyard for several years now – but was told I was nuts. This year the husband and kids have agreed it’s a great idea AND I’ve found three other intellectually challenged womyn who have agreed to split an order of chickens with me! The minimum order from most hatcheries is 15-25 – and that sounds like a LOT of chicken poop! Four to six seems MUCH more doable.

But…there’s SO much to consider:

Breeds:
The tiny bantam breeds are adorable – and MUCH easier to handle. Many of the standard breeds are now available in the miniature version. However – the eggs are tinier, needing 3-4 eggs to replace 2 standard eggs AND they are only sold straight run (male & female mixed together). I really have no use for roosters. I want eggs, I’m not willing to cull the males to my freezer, and I’m pretty sure my neighbors wouldn’t be very excited about several crowing roosters. So…no bantams for now.

The choice of breeds for standard sized chickens is overwhelming. Do you want chocolate brown eggs? Go for the Maran, a breed developed in France in the mid 1800’s. Light blue or green eggs? You want the Araucana, a spirited, comical bird named from the Indian tribe of Chile where they were first discovered. The Speckled Sussex lays warm brown eggs and is known for being gentle with children (my daughter has named her still imaginary Sussex, Brownie).
The prolific layers are the Leghorn (remember the cartoon, Foghorn Leghorn?) for white eggs and Rhode Island Reds for brown eggs. Because they lay the most eggs, they are found in most of the commercial chicken houses. Many backyard poultry folks prefer to shelter the heritage breeds rather than the commercial choices.

I’m attempting to find the right combination of egg-laying ability and personality to stock my backyard flock. Many breeds are skittish or aggressive – and I want these critters to follow my kids around when given the opportunity!

This leads to Chicken Coop Design issues:

Forget the old stationary chicken coop with the tall fencing and the permanently bare ground! Today’s backyard farmers are all about the chicken tractor – a movable chicken coop and run. By relocating the run every few days (depending on the number of birds) your birds keep your lawn picked free of bugs and weeds, and add their nitrogen rich “compost” to your lawn! Best of all, your yard doesn’t get trampled into dirt! The designs for these chicken tractors are as varied as the chickens they contain. Larger farms may use an actual tractor to haul them around, but the backyard farmer usually can roll his smaller contraption without too much hassle. Most designs include an attached run which may be completely enclosed, totally protecting your birds from predators. A friend uses a movable electric fence around her small coop, which effectively keeps all land predators at bay, although her birds are still at risk to airborne attacks. (she doesn’t want to end up with a flock of geriatric non-laying pets, so the process of natural elimination works for her!)

Did you catch the part about chickens eating bugs? I’m really looking forward to that part, particularly mosquito-eating chickens! (wonder if that’s a separate breed???). I hate mosquitoes. Unfortunately – they LOVE me. I must taste like chicken.

And…if my future chickens do NOT eliminate the mosquito problem…

Apparently Native Americans would coat their bodies with bear grease – which would insulate them against harsh weather AND protect them from mosquitoes! I’m a little low on bear grease – but I have some Crisco in the back of a cabinet – and I’m NOT afraid to try it!

Namaste.

The Snake Whisperer

2008-05-15T07:08:00.000-05:00

You know you’ve adapted to life in the country when you step off of your back porch and onto a small snake – and your heart continues to beat! In fact, after the initial gasp of surprise, you turn it into a learning experience and call the kids out to see – then carry the snake out to the field, in the hopes that the rye grass will protect the poor baby from predators!

Maybe it’s not the country life – maybe it’s me. I have a history with snakes.

It all began when I was ten – and a boy in our church brought me a small milk snake as a pet. At my mother’s urging, I carried the snake to my father to ask permission to keep it. Of course, my father was a minister and was in an Adboard meeting with a roomful of nicely dressed church folks. Who knew old people could run that fast???

In graduate school I rented a room from a girlfriend – a newly single mom. We lovingly referred to her suburban home as “Hell House” – and never was an abode more aptly named. For two years we shared such travesties as exterior doors that refused to open – simultaneously (try explaining THAT to your boss), electrical fires, deranged squirrels, cats in the walls, a raining lamp, flooded basement – and bombardier snake.

It started innocently enough. My friend and I were returning home after a strenuous day of bargain hunting; she went to the clothesline and I went to the back door. As I started to open the door, a shadow appeared above me. I ducked and screamed as a snake fell from overtop the door, caught itself on the metal railing - then raised its head and flicked its tongue at me!

To this day, my girlfriend swears I saved her life, “Because if the snake had fallen on ME – I’d have dropped dead from a heart attack!” She lived in the house another 10 years or so – and NEVER did either of us enter the house without first stepping back and looking up (and try explaining THAT to strangers!).

When we first moved to our home in the country we piled boxes of belongings in the front room until we had done necessary repairs. One day my four-year old daughter came through the front hall and started screaming – the bad kind of scream that makes your heart clench and your hand start dialing 911. I ran to her – and almost collided with a large black snake winding its way through my hallway. The snake – not liking the loud noise - was trying to hide by going under the door to the front room which we had filled with our boxes.

Now – my husband was terrified of snakes (he’s better now). I mean deep, unreasonable petrifying fear. I knew that if the snake got into the front room we would A) never find it and B) my husband would torch the house. Without thinking (and while screaming) I grabbed the snake by the tail and yanked it back from the door, dropping it when it turned to strike me. Several times this comedy of terror continued – with the snake getting more and more angry – until I was able to open the front door and swing the snake outside, where it disappeared under the house. I later found that a trap door in the closet floor was open, making easy access from below. Of course, once I realized how many mice find their way into a 1900’s country house I was wishing I had let the snake live indoors!

Snakes are my friends, now. We have an agreement. They don’t drop on me from above, and I respect their place in the universe. Last year I was somewhat dressed up for a 50th Anniversary party – hose, black high heels, black sheath dress, etc. As we started to pile in the car I noticed a large black snake by the front tire – possibly the same snake I had thrown from the house years before. I walked to the front porch and stood there, watching the snake and talking to it. The snake left the car and slithered right towards me, up on to the porch, then circling around my foot and going through my high heeled shoe! It paused – just for a moment – then disappeared through the porch boards under the house. My husband’s still mad he didn’t get a picture of it!

It was a wonderful moment – but not an incident I would have welcomed in my younger years. I am…slowly…but FINALLY…growing into the womyn I always meant to be!

Sniff??? It must be Spring!

2008-04-07T12:39:00.003-05:00

I don't know if it's just my family - but it seems like someones been sick off and on since Christmas. Fevers, congestion, intestinal issues - we've tried them all! I'm really looking forward to opening up the house and airing it out when it gets warmer!

Of course, since we live in farm country, I must wait until all of the nasty, smelly disgusting chemicals and fertilizers are absorbed into the fields. Last week it was sunny and lovely, but we hid inside with everything closed because the air outside hurt our lungs. Some days it just stinks - but this one actually hurt. It scares me.

Just what are they putting on our foods and into our water supply? (I'm not glowing green yet, am I???) We were traveling down the road past many, many fields of various crops, when we came upon a large crop of rye grass - neon yellow. Now, for those city slickers among us, rye grass IS green - SHOULD be green. And really, neon is NEVER a good color in nature.

We're on the Eastern Shore, so everything goes into the Chesapeake Watershed. Scary, isn't it? Should I mention that the cancer rates around here are alarmingly high?

I'm sure it's just a coincidence, right? I mean - our government would NEVER allow us to be poisoned in the name of economics and money. Uh huh.

So...I'm determined to grow my own vegetable garden this year. Organic veggies, fresh from the ground - growing within 10 feet of a commercial crop with all the stinky stuff it can hold. Want to lay odds my veggies are as polluted as the neighboring field?

Hmmm...so much for simple purity of country living!

Enjoy!

Have You Seen My Brain???

2008-02-18T13:34:00.003-05:00

The aliens that live in my computer have absconded with my brain.

Really.

I have proof.

For the last 2+ days I've been sitting here mindlessly following links and reading blogs and filling out forms. It began Saturday, when I happened onto a blog, Thrifty Florida Mom, who talked about buying all kinds of groceries and drug store items for little or no money! Really!

Twenty-four hours later I have checked out about fifty different sites and stores and applied for several bonus cards. I've also printed about 20 pages worth of coupons. (and then went to Food Lion and got Eggo Waffles and 2 kinds of tissues for pennies!!)

Of course, then I needed a coupon organizer, and that necessitated about 10 more online stores, then another hour trying to make my own, then a trip to Roses to purchase said coupon holder for $2.00. Later today I plan to visit at least 2 different drugstores and another Food Lion (for more whole grain waffles).

Yup - I have issues.

It gets worse. This morning, following some link on a blog, I arrived at Slick Deals. There I followes ALL kinds of links and eventually started filling out forms to get free stuff (the USB bracelet should arrive shortly). Then - without any conscious thought - I began filling out survey forms to earn points towards Amazon gift cards.

Several hours later, after being caught in a never-ending form, I woke up.

OMG!!!

Shouldn't computers come with an UNDO button???

So.....to recap:

I now have 120 coupons with more arriving daily, many bonus cards, and 2.7 million emails, snail mail and probably phone calls from people who want me to buy their crappy goods. Does that about wrap it up???

I've spent the last two hours digging out the house, doing laundry, dishes and general de-cluttering. This is the FIRST I've written - in days.

Beating myself up now...

The Downside of Being a Grown-up

2008-02-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

Actually, there are a LOT of downsides to being a grown-up. Not only must you take responsibility for yourself, your actions and your choices - you're usually responsible for other people, as well!

Let's see...five things I've been horrified to learn:

1. Animals are MUCH more fun when my mother is cleaning up after them.
2. Toilets are NOT self-cleaning.
3. Doing the best for your children usually requires delaying what's best for YOU!
4. Household bills - and grocery bills - increase at a terrifying rate.
5. Grown-ups are not supposed to wrap themselves in blankies and hide under the dining room table - at least not for long!

In case you hadn't figured it out - this will NOT be one of my hoo-rah inspiring entries. Why not, you ask?

1. It's Monday. [see older posts for THAT horror]
2. It's 10 degrees and windy - and that's inside!
3. I was at the Super Wal-Mart grocery shopping on Saturday AND Sunday - UGH!
4. I paid the bills. Now the goal is to spend NO money for the next two weeks.
5. I have no wine. :(

Pretty pathetic, isn't it? I have a hard time being productive when I'm cold. Now I DID manage to make tea and hominy (started THAT last night), homeschool three children, catch up with friends & family AND send out a writing proposal. I was feeling....ok. And then I paid bills.

Ignorance certainly IS bliss. (though it leads to stupid choices)

All right - enough is enough! Time to put on some good music & dance! Maybe have a special cup of Harney tea - and make a pot of potato-leek soup! And THEN wrap up in a blankie in my chair and read a book!

After all - tomorrow is another day! (with apologies to Margaret Mitchell)

If it's Thursday it must be Barley...

2008-02-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

In honor of the new year - and hoping to save a few bucks - I've been endeavoring to cook healthier foods. Whole grains - bought in bulk - and sometimes simmered overnight. In the past couple of days I've made some awesome grits - did you know they DON'T have to be the watery wallpaper paste you get in restaurants??? Who knew? Cooked with milk and water - I add salt with garlic, cheddar cheese and parmesean cheese - and they ROCK!!! This time 2/3 kids actually liked them (after complaining for 30 minutes). The one who didn't like them is the one who likes everything else!!!! Go figure.

I've also - quite frequently - taken some cracked 9-grain blend & cooked it - then stirred in wheat germ and crushed flax seed. Then I serve it with plain yogurt (from the Amish market), honey and dried cranberries. Delicious! At least to me.

Tonight's dinner is almost vegetarian chili (I had a wee bit of sausage in the fridge)and cornbread.

My husband's not sure he's going to survive this - he really prefers cheeseburgers. Did I mention I put barley in the chili? I'm hoping my husband doesn't notice. I've been cooking with barley a lot. Everyone still hates it. They'll eventually get used to the flavors - right???

I guess only time will tell.

Speaking of time - my baby has his first loose tooth - he's very excited. He's six and a half - so he's past due. Do other six year old's swing back and forth between being absolutely delighful and so outright defiant you want to mail them to Mexico??? Or am I just lucky???

Dancing Womyn

2008-02-02T08:58:00.000-05:00

January has been an amazing month for me - I'm finally reconnecting to the Universe and finding my place and my voice. I'm working on unleasing my creativity - and sharing the results with the world.

I've made a door quilt to help insulate our living room, a quilt square for a friend's mother's blessingway, and many delicious, healthy meals {note: children may disagree with the last statement}.

Even better, I'm writing - a LOT. I have a regular post on Donne Tempo, an online womyn's magazine; I'm writing a tween's fiction novel - and researching the Civil War on the Eastern Shore for the book; AND....I wrote a song. Yup - ME! Actually, I used to write songs, but never really did anything with them. This time I'm lining up musicians and seeking options. I'll eventually record it to share with you!

Oh, AND...the picture of the dancing womyn? I DREW that!!! (and I don't draw!!!) My wonderful husband took the picture of the moon in our backyard, and superimposed the dancing womyn on it. The words are from my song - it sounds better put to music!

One month down - many to go. Isn't life a wonderful journey?

Namaste.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-07T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'm back! {huff, puff, whew!} And I ran the entire way!

Well, ok, maybe not. But I DID get through the holidays without losing sanity, friends, children or my temper! Of course, everyone immediately became ill as soon as Christmas was over. I'm thinking all the yummy baking I did wasn't that helpful to our immune systems.

The good news...it's WARM today! That 1900 house I call home is NOT cold weather friendly. Not to mention, the electric company annoyed me - and I now refuse to give them any more of our money than absolutely necessary! Except for the bathrooms - we're heating the house with the woodstove. Even when it hit 10 degrees F. (I did buy long underwear - to wear in the living room) It's funny, the cold doesn't bother the kids at all - they'll go around with bare feet!!! (can you say, "insane"???) Me, my feet arrive a good two minutes before the rest of me, I have on so many socks! Our rat terrier, Jadzia, is worse than I am. She starts giving me "the LOOK" at soon as it drops below 70. You know, the face that says, "If you really loved me, we'd move to California!!!"

At any rate - it's now 2008! Here's to finding ourselves and our strengths, and creating our best life!

Namaste!

The Joys of Parenthood

2007-11-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

Ah, parenthood.

Peanut butter kisses, warm hugs, snuggling on the couch with your 6 year old son, who's not yet too old to cuddle his mommy. And then he starts talking...

Gabe: "I love you mommy....SO MUCH!"
Me: "I love you, too!"
Gabe: "But I love Taryn more because when I'm a man and she's a woman we're going to get married. We're going to live in a palace and have five kids and five dogs and four cats and a bunny!
Me: "Aren't you a little young to be getting married?"
Gabe: "Not now! When we're grown up! You'll be old by then, almost dead. Yup, you'll be dead by then."

Ah....parenthood.

Nuff said???

Going with your strengths...

2007-10-29T12:31:00.000-05:00

I have always referred to myself as "multi-talented". For one thing - it sounds MUCH more positive than "lazy-assed slug". I DO have talents - even if they don't include team sports or keeping house like Martha Stewart. My talents are harder to explain - at least to my mother!

I read, I write, I communicate, I speak. (Note that washing the windows didn't make that list) I actually love public speaking - I really enjoy that form of communication. To me, it's sharing my writing - verbally! I discovered public speaking in 6th grade (and won best in school for my version of "America's Promise"). My dad was a Methodist minister, so I also had the opportunity to be the guest lecturer at different Methodist churches before I was out of college. Later on I traveled around the country, talking about the different research projects I worked on as a PhD student. Once I was in private practice (audiology) I would travel to different groups and talk about hearing loss. I also became a certified toastmaster - just for the fun of it!

People had told me for years that I should follow in my father's footsteps and become a minister - but I had a few problems with that. For one - mainstream religion doesn't fit me well - I believe everyone must find their own path. I eventually became a Unitarian Universalist - and found a few more public speaking opportunities there! But - even in a UU church - I have no desire to be a minister. I've lived that life - and have no desire to repeat it. But parts of it appeal to me.

Last month by dear friend Theresa decided to re-marry. They were having a hard time finding a pastor that would design a ceremony to reflect their beliefs and journey. Theresa said she really wanted ME to design and perform the ceremony - so I did. I became a certified wedding officiant and quickly put together a simple wedding ceremony that included Theresa's children and the different backgrounds and beliefs of Theresa and her husband to be.

It was amazing. The ceremony took place in the courtyard of a small restaurant - with about 20 friends and family members. The ceremony was unique, touching, and memorable. One of my favorite parts was the exchanging of rings...

The wedding ring is a circle symbolizing the sun, and the earth, and the
universe. It is a symbol of wholeness, perfection and peace.

As you enter into the circle of your shared love,may you be blessed through
your devotion to this union. May your journey as husband and wife be filled
with peace, love and joy.

Then the ring vows were exchanged...

This ring is my gift to you.

May it always remind you
that from this day forward, you will be surrounded by my love.

It felt right, performing the wedding. I felt so blessed to be able to contribute my puny talents to their celebration. Let's face it - other friends took care of flowers, make-up, restaurant reservations and so on. Instead of being the usual "bump on a log" I was able to make the day incredibly special for them.

I read, I write, I speak, I communicate.

Not bad talents, really. I plan on using them MUCH more frequently.

Namaste.

The Joy of Old Houses

2007-09-11T05:40:00.000-05:00

I've always loved old houses. The style, the history, the personality - the new housed just can't compete. When we bought our 1900 house I was ecstatic - sure, it needed work, but nothing we couldn't handle.

Go forward 4.5 years. The house still looks like early ghetto. We DO have hot water and a kitchen, thankfully. The husband is making a strong attempt to finish the walls in the main rooms so I can paint them - and I've actually chosen paint! I had to empty and move all the bookcases so he could GET to the walls, though. He was in spackling last week, then called me. He directed my attention down to an abandoned, coverless outlet that had been behind the bookcases. The back half of a mouse was hanging out of the wall, tail dangling.

Can you say, "YUCK! YUCK! GROSS!!!"? Cause I did. Or possibly I said more than that - I don't really remember. I had been smelling something "unusual" for the past month, a girlfriend had been telling me the animals probably dragged a potato somewhere, and it was decomposing. Well - it was decomp - but no potato.

Now...how long until I can walk into the dining room without wrinkling my nose???

And....it's almost time to cut the field behind us - which means we will once more be inundated with the lovely mice. We DO have three cats - time for earn their kibble!

Ah...lovely Victorian houses. Is there anything better?

Don't ask.

Aaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!

2007-08-31T12:53:00.000-05:00

It's September - how did that happen???? Next week starts chorale, dance & co-op, soon to be follow by karate, speech, book clubs & the YMCA. Oh yeah - and our formal education resumes on Monday! Also in September we have two trips to the Science center, a Sultana trip, and possibly a zoo visit.

And somewhere in there - I need to work!

Did I mention.....AAARRRRRGHHHH???

Please send positive energy, followed by LOTS of coffee, followed by alcohol.

Yeah, that might help!

ruck rucka rucka

Homeschooling 101

2007-08-19T19:00:00.000-05:00

Went to Jungle Jims today, a water park in Rehobeth Beach, DE. (yeah, it was overcast and raining, in case you were wondering). The kids had a ball!

I was talking with a lovely woman there, sharing kid tales. She asked what school my children attended, and I told her we homeschool. Her mouth dropped open and she asked, in complete awe, "How do you manage?"

I looked that delightful woman straight in the eye and replied......

"I drink."

yeah....it's been THAT kind of week. Oh well - at least I made a new friend! (when she stopped laughing, anyway!)

FYI

2007-08-13T08:01:00.000-05:00

Just in case you ever REALLY need some scotch tape to hang a note on the door for DHL, but your lovely children have absconded with every roll of tape you own....

Just stick that printed, professional note to the clean glass door with blue modeling clay. Then wash your hands - a few times. The blue stains.

Off to wash the door...and buy more scotch tape.

Camping for Couch Potatoes!

2007-08-07T11:08:00.001-05:00

For those of you who would rather read a good book than leave the house - take note! We, the famous (infamous?) Bubble Family, survived AND enjoyed our first camping trip!

The tent, newly purchased for the event, was a tad disappointing. Really rotten assembling instructions, and when we finally figured it out we realized it was MUCH smaller than we expected. Two of my kids ended up happily sleeping in the attached (but floorless) screen room, so all was well.

I was so proud of myself when I called my husband that evening. "We got the tent set up - by ourselves, I built a fire AND I just cooked hot dogs and salmon over the fire. Let's face it - I ROCK!!!"

We went swimming the next day and had a fantastic time - until my 5 year old disappeared. Again. He has this thing.....if he doesn't see me he picks a direction and BOLTS as fast as he can. Luckily this time he was wearing a lime green floatie. I ran to the life guard - who already had him corraled - all the way at the other end of the beach. Did I mention he runs - fast???

Rucka rucka rucka...

The Secret...Revealed!

2007-08-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

I have discovered the secret to awesome family adventures!!! In the last three days we have 1) Gone on our FIRST family camping trip and 2)Spent the day at Six-Flags America - all with my friend T and her two children.

The secret? Simply this... lower your standards. Drastically.

My goal was survival. I expected to be miserable - but hey, it was for the kids. The only thing I wanted to do was avoid catastrophes. I met my goal!

I'll detail the camping trip in the next post, right now I'll focus on the Six-Flag Adventure:

We were going to Six Flags for one reason, and one reason only....our children read the required eight hours (each) to earn a FREE ticket - and they refused to be denied their prize!

I started out excited about the upcoming adventure - and then I started researching the place. Reviews were horrible: the place was crowded and dirty, the lines were long and service was slow - and that was the good news! As we looked into "additional" charges we realized our "Free" day was going to cost a mint. $15 parking, $7.00 pretzels, $14.00 hamburgers, $9.00 raft fee. I started to fret and fume, and try to figure out less expensive options. I eventually gave up.

We postponed the trip several times, eventually settling on last Sunday. You know - the day of the monsoons? Luckily, we bailed before getting into the car, and rescheduled for yesterday. It meant T couldn't bring her boyfriend, but at least it was a Wednesday, and hopefully less crowded.

We were already tired from camping, and slow to get on the road. We didn't get to Six Flags until almost noon, and decided to stop and fuel up on the cheap at McDonald's before entering the EXPENSIVE ZONE. Paid the $15 for parking (rucka rucka rip-off!) and started schlepping to the gates. Finally got inside and realized we had to pay $17 for a locker rental (guess we didn't need to collect those quarters, after all!!!!)

And then - we were ready to play! Despite many buses filled with children, there was no wait for the non-thrill rides. Each ride, however, still took forever. The people seemed to move in slow motion, there was a deliberate pause before each movement and safety check, then they always stopped for the two extra people that were "almost" there, then did the safety checks again. I think it was a company policy, actually. They lose money the more times they run the ride, and so try to fill each ride to capacity before they start - and they are in NO hurry to start. Ah well.

It was a memorable event on the wooden roller coaster - the children and my husband's FIRST time on a large coaster - and my LAST. Stick a fork in me, I'm done!

When we were done with the ride part, we shared water and snacks we had stashed in the locker, then changed into swimsuits. Our first water ride was everyone's favorite - riding an inner tube down 1 of 4 slides into a 3foot deep pool. What fun! We spent quite a bit of time on that one before moving on.

The rest of the water park was less impressive - although the kids had a ball! I was especially impressed by the diligence of the lifeguards - they were amazing! (ok, I was initially irritated by their penchant for incessant whistle blowing - but I moved on!) Turns out the life guards are constantly tested and monitored. I saw one guy being berated because it took him over 30 seconds to see (and retrieve) the object the tester had thrown into the pool. Another dove into the water, blowing her whistle frantically, to "rescue" a staged drowning victim. No wonder these folks look like their wired on speed! I have NEVER seem a place take life guarding so seriously - way to go, Six Flags!!!

By now the kids were dragging and hungry. We bribed them into waiting until we left the park to get dinner by promising them dessert, as well (no, we have no shame, we're PARENTS!). We ended up at a nearby Ruby Tuesday's. The five children sat at one booth and the three adults were able to eat and speak in relative peace and another table! AND...the waitress kept telling us what wonderful, polite children we had!!!! (guess exhaustion works - right up til the moment they dissolve into a quivering mass, anyway)

We then took ours to the bookstore for a treat. They each got a book, and read in the car until they fell asleep. We were home and in bed by 10.

It was a good day! Wasn't perfect, but we were expecting to have such a hideous time that it seemed wonderful by comparison!!!

So there you go folks....when all else fails - lower your standards!

Pop back soon for the camping adventures of the bubble family - complete with real horror stories!!!

Enjoy!v

Small breasted women of the world - take heart!

2007-07-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

I was always tall and thin. Used to hear the jokes, growing up....."Turn her sideways and she disappears" and "What sticks out further, her nose or her chest???"

Yup. Funny stuff. Really. The comedic talent of those around me never ceased to amaze.

And....I rather liked my chest! They were small (b-cup) but perky! Let's face it - they had personality!

And then I birthed, and nursed, three children. The youngest nursed til he was three. His favorite trick was to latch on, plant his feet on my belly and catapult himself over my shoulder. Without letting go.

I knew things had "changed" chestwise. Perky was certainly a thing of the past. But "womanly" was ok, too. I searched for bras that hiked my now non-perky friends up to a more acceptable position. I even sought out the help of an older woman at the Penney's store for fitting advice. I eventually threw out my 34B's and accepted my post-baby 40C's.

But I hated buying - and wearing the bras that fit now. They were old lady hassocks, ugly and frumpy. When I tried a prettier bra - nothing fit. Body parts stuck out at weird angles, or lounged down on my belly as if in defeat. Not to mention, trying on bras while juggling THREE small children is a sanity tester by itself!

Last Sunday I went shopping with a girl friend - sans the six children who usually accompany us. I once more struggled to find a less hideous bra. I drug my friend into the act who immediately announced I was wearing the wrong size. [Apparently Oprah did a show recently - Bless that woman!]

Yesterday I left the children with Grandma long enough to be fit at Nordstroms. Here's to Sasha, the certified fitter (it says so right on her business card) who settled me into a large dressing room, did her magic with the measuring tape, and then spent the next hour bringing me bras for my approval. I entered in a frumpy, old-lady bra measuring 38C and left in a blue lacy number in the size.....ready? 34DDD! Triple D! Me - the chestless one! [now, some stores refer to that as 34E - but that makes me think of E for Elephants - so I MUCH prefer the DDD!]

I am woman, watch me strut!

I called my husband with the news..."The good news, honey, is that your wife is STACKED!....The bad news...it's almost impossible to find a bra in 34DDD for less than $50!" He seemed to consider it a fair trade. Bless his little male heart.

The funny part.....I still don't look like I have large breasts. In fact, the new bras are "minimizing" -so I actually looked bigger before. But my button down shirts fit better!

I'm thinking these bras were designed by women and I need to find one (just ONE!) that was designed by a man! "Well....HELLO! How lovely to meet all THREE of you!"

In the meantime - I'm walking tall! (and ma, check out my posture!)

A Sense of History

2007-07-23T09:06:00.000-05:00

I hear children screaming. It must be Monday.

We're taking a break from formal learning right now - so apparently the children just scream because it's Monday - not because they don't want their new Latin vobabulary words. Good to know.

Actually, I have only two children screaming. The eldest is spending a few days with Grandma. She's riding her bike to the beach, going swimming, and making friends with the children of MY old playmates! I like the sense of continuity.

It's funny - I've always been one for moving on - new places, new challenges. The Beach house has been my only constant in life. And, as it turns out, that's important to me. Who knew?

Here's to enjoying life's simple pleasures, my friends!

The Universe - 9,371: Me - 0

2007-07-16T07:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes my life feels like an "I Love Lucy" show. You know, where whatever CAN go wrong - WILL!

Case in point: I have been endeavoring to improve my image. When we moved to the country I was thrilled that I could roll out of bed and trundle off to the local stores in whatever was handy & comfortable and STILL be considered presentable.

And then you clean the mirror and realize that YOU have become the frumpy hag you never wanted to be! Hence, the makeover.

I've become zealous about using my fantastic Tarrah skin-care line (I'm also a distributor - but haven't done anything with it - yet!) so that my face is smooth, soft, and glowing. I've also used the Tarrah foot care system - but need to do it again! I'm dressing well upon waking, AND doing hair and makeup. That's it - I want to be the womyn who can handle anything - and STILL keep her lipstick on straight. If only I could stop eating it off. {{sigh}}

All this sounds good - right? Enter the laughing Universe.

Ever since my new approach - "things" are happening. I'm looking polished and professional as I herd my children into a local store. I happen to glance down and realize that my 5 year old - the one who reads fluently AND is learning Latin - has apparently FORGOTTEN how to use a toilet - and simply doesn't care!! He actually had several "potty issues" that week - all of them involving me dealing with them in heels and lipstick.

And then there was the bank incident. I can't even blame this one on the kids - I was alone. The bank moved their ATM - it's now in the wall of the drive-thru. The first time I used it I hadn't gotten close enough to the wall, and could barely reach the thing. Now I was determined to correct that mistake -and pulled in quite closely. I was making a deposit, and the machine asks if you want an envelope (they no longer have them just sitting there - the machine will give you ONE).

Unfortunately, I fumbled the envelope, and it fell outside the car. And I can't get the door of the car open far enough to get out. So....I'm leaning, stretching (most likely also cursing) and finally repositioning myself so that my leg (I'm 5'11") can pull the envelope close enough that I can stretch down and pick it up. Meanwhile the ATM is beeping at me - but not offering any more envelopes OR giving me back my bankcard. All of this - on film. I'm so proud. Oh well, at least my lipstick was on straight!

The Universe has a whacky sense of humor - and doesn't want us to take ourselves too seriously, apparently.

Luckily, laughing at myself has always been easy. Too easy. {{sigh}}

Enjoy!

Savings vs Sanity

2007-07-11T08:43:00.000-05:00

Some people brake for sales.

Me - I drag three cranky children hours out of my way, battle 100 degree temperatures, then put myself within touching distance of variously sized smelly people wearing way too much spandex (and shouting obscenities) just to claim my bags of "clearance" merchandise. Between the gas, food, bribes & recovery alcohol involved - it would have paid me to have Nordstroms deliver to my door.

Wait! I forgot to mention the 9,000 potty stops! And the sticky floors!

And then there's the.....returns.

I've returned five items in the last 2 days - and now have to return the sandals I bought my husband yesterday. The nearest Kohl's is an hour away. What's wrong with me???

Obviously, I'm sanity challenged.

This morning I've been checking out www.drugstore.com and www.amazon.com (groceries). Both offer free shipping with orders over $25.00. I'm still going to have to hit Sam's Club or Costco once a month for pet food, coffee, peanut butter (three kids) and paper products. Not sure I see a way around that one!

I'm open to suggestions - does anyone have a favorite site for ordering the necessities of life????

Talk to me!

The Bubble Family hits the Water!

2007-06-28T06:39:00.000-05:00

I don't know about anyone else - but many of our family outings and adventures are much better on paper than in real life. Usually the stress and cost of our outings far out way the enjoyment that's wedged between dealing with cranky children.

Yesterday may have been an exception.

We went to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center in Grasonville, Maryland - on the Eastern Shore. We had attended their annual "Wade-In Festival" earlier in the month, and ended up getting a year's family membership. The family membership entitled us to unlimited access to their hiking and bike trails - AND free canoe/kayak rentals.

Yesterday we hit the water.

Please understand - we're not the most outdoorsy of families. All of us, including the five year old, prefer to curl up with a good book. So outfitting our pasty white bodies with life vests, sunscreen and bug spray is a major deal.

The grown-ups had experienced canoes before - if 30 year old experiences count. The children were unsure about putting their bodies over water - and trusting their pasty parents. Certainly the first step into the canoes from the floating pier had all of us wobbling uncertainly. It didn't help that we had to split up - the nine year old and I in one canoe, and Dad in another with the two younger ones.

We eventually figured out the paddling techniques needed to propel us away from the pier. There's a relatively large, calm area to explore - and if one is brave enough one can go ashore on one of the reed covered shores and explore. We weren't brave enough. We did see ducks, swans and an eagles nest.

One of the best points - from this family's perspective - the water rarely gets over 2-3 feet deep - so even if we tipped we could simply stand up and step back into the canoe. I'm happy to say that didn't happen.

The current, however, was a challenge. I especially had difficulty getting the canoe to go in the direction I chose - can you say "chicken arms"? After three attempts to return to the pier, only to end up sideways, floating towards Kent Island, my lovely husband came to our rescue, and towed our wimpy butts back to shore. My hero!

All in all - a fun day. I think mostly because it was close to home, and not expensive - and we didn't have outlandish expectations. I should probably note that the children have declared they are NEVER doing it again. But they always react to new experiences like that.

And, as a whole, the family has decided we need something with a motor!

The husband and I would like to try the kayaks - without children. I'm hoping for something a little easier to maneuver!

All in all - a good day - with children! (and really, can you ask for anything more?)

Enjoy!

Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails...

2007-06-25T07:02:00.000-05:00

I don't want to shock anyone - but I just can't keep it to myself any longer. Ready? Here goes:

Boys are ....... different. Their brains are apparently just wired differently from the gentler sex. Namely....ME!

Exhibit A: We spent last week with my mother, who was recovering from knee surgery. Now my mother is fastidious at best. Obsessive also comes to mind. She has - and has always had - a very, very clean house. (note how she never managed to pass that knowledge along to me, however. Ah well.)

Anyway....after an exhausting day (everyone, including children, left the house at 6am, my mom had knee surgery, we got prescriptions filled, went back to her house and took care of meals, dogs, laundry, etc.) I had finally collapsed into a chair to stare mindlessly at the television set. (I think it was on - but I'm not really sure). The eldest comes in and whispers in my ear, "Gabe did something really, really bad......he drew on grandma's closet doors."

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!

I ran from the room and yup - there it was. He had labeled the two closets in the spare bedroom. "MEN AND BOYS" and "WOMEN AND GIRLS". All spelled correctly with impeccable printing, I might add.

I think the back of my head came off. Now, it's not like he's permitted to write on walls or furniture at home. I do know people that allow it and don't like to stifle a young one's creativity. Me - I stifle.

He was able to clean off the damage - using elbow grease and a Magic Eraser. (wow, do I LOVE those things!!!) He was later explaining to his grandma that he just wanted to label the closets so that the boys got the good closet with the light. I asked why he hadn't written on a piece of paper and taped it to the door. His eyes got large, his mouth dropped open, and he admitted that would have worked, as well.

I'm with Bill Cosby - they're just brain damaged. Testosterone poisoning, possibly?

Now, Exhibit B: Yesterday I walk into the kitchen, Gabe has just let our small dog into the house, but hasn't unhooked the leash. I bend down to do so and realize that the white dog is now BLACK, soaking wet, dripping, and trembling. Not being stupid, I turned to Gabe, "WHAT DID YOU DO?????"

His answer...."Tee hee hee hee. I got her with the hose!"

Me...."WHY????"

Brain damaged male child: "I HAD too, the cat ran away and hid and I HAD to squirt something!!!!"

Nuff said?

The real question....is this just a phase and life will get better? OR....is this the beginning of the downward spiral into stupid male tricks?????

I'm beginning to understand the blessings of boarding school! Don't boys start them around 6 six years old? Hmmmm......

Yeesh.

Juggling lessons

2007-06-16T16:47:00.000-05:00

I am striving to become a better juggler. It seems I have the ability to focus on ONE thing at a time - and all else falls to ruin. I've been working to achieve a more sane balance between parenting, homeschooling, cooking & housekeeping. Work is slow right now, and other obligations are on summer hiatus.

And so....I make lists of reasonable things to accomplish each day...and I do a little at a time. Actually, I make more reasonable lists for the children - I still try to do too much. But I'm learning. I think. The goal being to achieve sanity AND progress.

We went blueberry picking yesterday. Then made blueberry crisp, blueberry & spinach salad & blueberry muffins (which would have been better had I not forgotten the baking powder - oops!)

Now to go re-clean the kitchen, switch the laundry and write out the weekly homeschool assignments.

I guess life is juggling act - and sometimes - you just have to make omelets!

Maryland's Hero: Cal Ripken, Jr.

2007-06-11T07:07:00.000-05:00

They say everyone needs a hero. Around these parts (Maryland) that hero is Cal Ripken Jr. The Iron Man himself, thanks to his dedication to persistence, consistency and excellence. Apparently he's never developed the "big head" ego so popular with other stars. I know that well into his famed career he thought to include a favorite teacher in the festivities. I know that he and his wife are devoted to children's literacy issues. I know he's written a book that walks children through his approach to baseball and life.

And now I know something else.

I know that he has funded groups of inner city baseball leagues to enjoy and learn from a five-day stay at the North Bay Adventure Camp, in Northeast, MD. My husband was on hand last night when a group of kids from Kansas City, Missouri arrived. The kids were ecstatic at the facilities, pool, indoor basketball, indoor AND outdoor climbing walls, zip cords into the Chesapeake Bay, and a new baseball uniform and equipment for each child, courtesy of Cal Ripken, Jr. The kids are also scheduled to attend his baseball training camp, and maybe take in an Orioles game!

It's the week of a lifetime for these kids - all thanks to Cal Ripken, Jr.

Thanks, Cal - for showing us the true meaning of the word, HERO!

et tu, Brutus?

2007-06-07T08:59:00.000-05:00

We've added Latin to the homeschooling curriculum, it's very exciting. I took a couple of years of Latin in one of my high schools (Fort Hill in Cumberland, MD) and found it quite useful for 1) learning other languages and 2) understanding medical terms in my anatomy & physiology classes. Not to mention, it allows your inner geek to soar!

Lesson #1 was rather limited in vocabulary. Conjugate the verb amo, I love. [amo, amas, amat, amamus, amatis, amant (I love, you love, he loves, we love, you all love, they love)] Had three other vocabulary words: et (and), video (I see) and caput (head).

The five year old, who's also learning English grammar, and knows sentences need both a verb and a noun, immediately puts together his first Latin sentence (NOT in the curriculum and NOT taught by ME). His sentence....Amo caput.

My husband has it written on his whiteboard at work, is telling every male he can find, and wants to make t-shirts.

Luckily, this week we're adding many more verbs AND nouns to his vocabulary.

Yeesh.

It's Monday - Please Send Chocolate!

2007-06-04T15:31:00.000-05:00

Let's see....my blood pressure is rising, my eyes are burning, I've developed a twitch, and I keep wanting to put my head through the wall. Hmmm...it must be...MONDAY!!!

Monday - when we all try to accomplish some formal learning. Something OTHER than reading books. Monday - when we try to dig out the house from the weekend crazies. Monday - when we realize we are a vile, dirty, disgusting people. Monday - when peanut butter magically appears on the kitchen cabinets, trash multiplies under tables, animals mysteriously knock over everything, and children forget how to a)clean up their messes and b)LISTEN to their MOTHER!

Monday, when the responsibilities of work, homeschooling, housekeeping, mothering, and being a reasonable human being all mesh into some snarling lump of humanity.

Monday, when you realize all those things you DIDN'T get done last week are now perched to bite you on the butt.

Monday, when the socks are all unmatched and the underwear is all dirty.

Monday, when the kids have three settings: hungry, whiny, or screaming.

Monday, the day the chocolate died.

Lions and Tigers and Bears .... oh my!

2007-06-01T12:31:00.000-05:00

Ah...there's nothing like family adventure....to make you long for a good book. We took the clan to the National Zoological Park yesterday - otherwise known as the DC Zoo. I was very excited, since this was our first time (in recent memory) of visiting the zoo without heavy strollers or whiny toddlers. And, since the weather has been quite balmy, we were optimistic that the traditional heat wave that always seems to accompany us would be absent.

Um....no. Not so much.

We had no stroller - so we had to carry our bags and water bottles - and pull, threaten and cajole our cranky children. Also...it was...HOT! Very hot. And uphill. I'm not sure how they do it - but the zoo is about 90% UPHILL!

We were all less than impressed with our views of lions and tigers. "See that brown lump waaaay up there, behind the shrub? That's a lion!!!!!" Whoopee. We did, however, have AWESOME views of all three panda's. Dad was busy taking pictures of the animals, I was busy taking pictures of my children, and the 5 year old kept walking away from real animals to read the animal facts on the exhibits. He would have been happier staying home and reading a book about animals. Go figure. (ok, to be fair - that would have worked for me, too!)

At any rate - we're home now, recuperating. Is it just our family that adventures usually fall short - or is this a normal phenomena?

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

2007-05-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

It's official. I'm old. Old folks go to bed early, prefer their own cooking to most restaurants, prefer to watch movies in the privacy of their home and wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Sign me up.

We took the children to their first drive-in movie last night. A great double feature, Shrek III and Pirates of the Caribbean III. We had to park ALL the way in the back, and couldn't see very well. Because we were in the next to last row, we were surrounded by people that.....I'm not normally (and never intentionally) surrounded by.

I must say, the children had a GREAT time. They sat outside, on fold up chairs, and made LOTS of friends. They were all asleep before the last movie ended, at 1:40am. John and I didn't get to bed until 2:30am.

I'm wiped. The kids were up by 7, I slept until 9. John and I both took afternoon naps - and I can't wait til bedtime. Pathetic. Oh yeah - and the only thing I managed to do today was obsess about how tired I was! Sad, very sad.

What can I say, I'm old. Pass the Geritol, please!

The Awakening

2007-05-24T05:45:00.000-05:00

It seems I've been running on less than all cylinders lately. I admit to having {great} difficulty in juggling everything - but this is ridiculous! I've been focusing on educating the children, so the housework was falling behind. Then I was semi-ill for a few days, and didn't get much done {except to take the five year old to get a log removed from the bottom of his foot}.

Yesterday I spent most of the day getting the year end homeschool reviews completed -they're due next week. And then I woke up and looked around.

Can you say "Chaos"? With a capital "CRAP!"? Yes, we had the mounds of laundry, a few dirty dishes waiting for the dishwasher to be unloaded, a family of dust bunnies, and the expected toys and books everywhere. What I didn't expect was the TRASH!

It seems that my children, as intelligent and delightful as they can be, quickly regress to swamp-like mentality when I'm distracted. They totally ignore me when told to do something, their arms become broken when asked to actually put something away, and they regard the world as their trashcan! Food wrappers, tags, bits of paper, used tissues - all of these things were flung with great abandon all over my home. ???????

So...just to be clear...I have a BS, an MS and most of a PhD and my current job title is....trash can monitor.

At any rate, I'm now recovered from my fugue, and am once again attempting to do it all. While cleaning last night - and sounding a bit too much like my mother, I must say - I did have the following altercation with my middle child:

Child: I want to go to school. (this while doing the math work she "forgot" to do ALL day - despite frequent requests.)

Me: School? You want to sit for six hours a day and do schoolwork - and ONLY EAT at lunchtime? You don't like sitting still for 10 minutes - and that's just so you can go get a snack! You want to go to school????"

Child: Well....I want to get away from you..........I love you, though.

Me: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

Yeah, it was lovely. She really wouldn't do well in school, she learns quite slowly and deliberately - and does NOT take direction well. The problem is - she takes speech therapy there once a week - and gets a lovely half hour of one-on-one attention from someone other than me - and gets to play games and get prizes and candy. So...she thinks this is school. And really doesn't believe me when I assure her - it's NOT.

And how was YOUR day???

Introvert, anyone?

2007-05-01T07:12:00.000-05:00

I am a true-blue, dyed in the wool introvert. Most people don't believe this because I'm friendly, funny and not-too-subtle about letting my opinions known. Well, and I also LOVE to speak in front of a group - the more the merrier. But I have a hard time going up to strangers and introducing myself - and after public speaking, they all come up and introduce themselves to ME! Much better.

At any rate, I found a definition of introvert/extrovert that precisely explains my dilemma....

"The defining characteristic of an introvert or extrovert is where they get their strength. Ergo, an introvert may be the life of the party and have a wonderful time, but afterwards is drained and useless and needs time alone to refuel. An extrovert, however, will feel energized and alive after such an encounter, and will seek to repeat it immediately."

I'm an introvert. And I just had a wonderful, busy, fun, extended weekend with four houseguests - two of them children. We cooked, we ate, we sang, we played Rook, we went to the pool and the park - it was fantastic. And now I'd like to be locked in a sound-proof room with a bag of books and hourly coffee and scone service.

Hmmm...probably not going to happen unless the faeries come to shovel out the house and magically clean the mountains of laundry. Ah well. It was SO worth it!

Our visitors were T and her family. T being the best friend with stage IV cancer. She's doing great! Eliminating the estrogen has put her in remission for what we hope is a very, very, VERY long time. She has so much else to deal with on a daily basis, I'm glad cancer isn't at the front and center any more. Her birthday is this Friday, she's turning 36. I think it's the most beautiful number in the world, except perhaps for 37 - and so on!

Life is good if you take the time to enjoy it. And plan time for recuperation afterwards!

Homeschool Daze

2007-04-26T07:31:00.000-05:00

We homeschool. We've always homeschooled. The decision was made when I was pregnant with our first child, ten years ago. At the time, we were considering re-locating to West Virginia, and had no faith in local school systems - nor finances for private education. We began looking into home education - and our world expanded.

People have funny ideas about homeschoolers. Some envision children playing video games all day, and only reading comic books. Others see the religious families with their morning prayer and schoolroom, complete with chalkboard and flag. And yes, I'm sure both of those extremes do exist. People homeschool for different reasons - with different goals in mind. But every homeschooling parent I've met has the same ultimate goal: to provide the best possible education - and life - for their child.

Please understand; I am NOT encouraging you to homeschool. In fact, I really don't want the homeschool population to continue growing - because I don't want the government to get more involved in structuring the process. But I'd like to touch on the main (in my humble opinion) pro's and con's of homeschooling.

PRO: The freedom. Our schedule is set by us - and reflects the needs of family members, each child's goals (we're NEVER allowed to skip dance class), or the weather! Having said this, let me amend - I live for summer when we have NO schedule: no speech or dance classes, no homeschool co-op, no other "have-to's".

PRO: Progressing at each child's level. My nine year old and I started reading my old college physics text this week, discussing Aristotle, Copernicus and Galileo. My seven year old, who only mastered reading in the last 12 months, is now constantly curled up with a book -and has never felt she was "behind". She loved the children's chemistry book we read, and began building water and salt molecules using her big sister's chemistry kit. The five year old boy has been reading for a year (but his printing SUCKS) and loves geography. I invented a game a few days ago, asking each to find places on the globe (and using chocolate chips as reinforcement to keep the 7 year old interested). They all were amazing: The 9 year old can beat both her parents, the 7 year old can find a LOT more countries than she could a few months ago, and the 5 year old can find almost anything. Madagascar, Nepal, Vietnam, Morocco, Mali....he scoffs that the questions are "too easy". Yeesh.

PRO: The family unit. Our kids like each other. They play together, they learn together, they teach each other. Sure, they occasionally fight, and they drop their siblings for a friend in a heartbeat - but they DO get along. I like that.

CON: My sanity. Or lack of same. My other friends have sent their children off to school, and have delicious hours each day to THINK, to plan, to achieve, to EARN MONEY! Me...I have a hard time putting a complete sentence together most days. Or having an uninterrupted thought. In fact, I just had to leave the computer during the last sentence to call a child in to clean the cat litter, because the eldest had already done her share.

It's a LOT harder financially without me working. I had been working part time, but the hours have been cut back radically - which has drastically improved my sanity while hurting the bank account. I know other moms manage home-businesses while homeschooling - and I'd love to get there - but I'm not ready yet.

Yeah, we're still on my sanity. I am continually doubting myself, wondering if I'm doing enough, if I'm doing the right things, if I'm totally ruining my children. Every book I see is something "we haven't done yet!". Every time I hear what other kids are doing -in home OR school - I wonder if my kids need that.

Yup, still on my sanity....did I mention that there's NO ONE TO BLAME BUT ME!!!!!! Laundry's not washed - my fault. Kid's have only eaten peanut butter sandwiches all day - my fault. House looks like a tornado touched down - my fault. Five year old can't hold a pencil right - my fault. Husband's not happy working 12 hour days - my fault(it's not like he has options, since I'm not working). Cat's have fleas - my fault (I've got the medicine, just haven't put in on). Dog peed on the boy's new backpack - my fault (should have made him put it away -and NOW I have more laundry!!!) Oh yeah, and don't forget the dog dirt that the kids have tracked in because I haven't "scooped for two days". My fault. Oh yeah, and then there's exercise. HAH!

Gee, I guess there was only ONE con. The funny thing is - I'm happy that I'm homeschooling and I love doing it. I just need to figure out how to do everything else, too. {{{sigh}}}

The Un-Runner, still juggling.

Guns, schools and videotapes

2007-04-17T06:52:00.000-05:00

I'm in shock over the massive killings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute yesterday. VPI is such a great school - best place for engineering studies. And now everyone is rehashing ALL the school shootings - and reminding us of how unsafe our children really are. Does it all begin with "the right to bear arms"? Do England and Canada have similar issues and problems?

How do we keep our children safe?

It's Been a Hard Day's Night...

2007-04-10T09:33:00.000-05:00

It's Spring....technically, anyway! (just returned from visiting the in-laws in south-west Virginia - where it dropped to 16 degrees -with two inches of snow!)

I've been AWOL for the last month - buried in a growth phase - and yes, growth IS another word for crisis! I've been organizing, reading and planning. Creativity starts with organization for me - getting the daily routine of cleaning, cooking and homeschooling underway allows me the freedom to reach for more!

I always begin with books - they're friends, mentors and cheerleaders. I just found a newly published gem, "Mommy Millionaire" by Kim Lavine, president of Green Daisy, Inc. We were in the middle of our 13 hour return journey, and had stopped at our favorite rest place, "Books-A-Million". I had gathered several books to peruse while our three young ones were gleefully gathering a pile of reading material in the kid's section. I had just put down one woman's business success story with a sigh, telling my husband it was another "guts to glory" book that pushed attitude but gave no details. "It would be worth the cost of a book in a heartbeat to get ACTUAL information and websites about where and how to manufacture an idea!" And then I picked up "Mommy Millionaire" and just about turned to the page LISTING the exact information I had just asked for! SOLD!

I just finished reading the book - and am still sold! Her story - and her "Wuvits" are great - but she goes well beyond her tale and tells others exactly what they need to do to follow their own dream! Well done, "Wuvit Wady"! I hope she eventually adds a newsletter or blog for updates!

Now...time to plan the weekly menu and grocery list...and get the kids to pick up their STUFF! {{sigh}}

Happy Spring!

Complained about the weather, lately?

2007-03-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

This picture is from the town of Versoix, near Geneva City, Switzerland. Makes me feel fairly grateful for the wee bit of ice I've had to deal with lately! (and reminds me NEVER to go world traveling in the winter!)

Things are much more boring in this corner of the world. Sunny skies, food in the fridge which will, hopefully, be turned into something both delicious and nutricious, and self-educating children who never worry about armed bullies.

Life is good. Especially when I stop to think about it!

I attended my FIRST Pampered Chef party this week. Apparently I was the last female on the planet to succumb. I believe they'll be a press release and pictures later. There was certainly applause. (???)

As for Pampered Chef - I'm still sitting on the fence. I did indeed order a stone-ware loafpan and covered mixing bowl that I'm sure will be useful in the kitchen. However, I was unimpressed by the large proliferation of plastic gadgets. I like neither plastic NOR gadgets - so was doubly doubtful. I'm also wondering how, after purchasing all these "kitchen savers" you have any space left in your kitchen to actually cook?

I suppose it's like most things - I'll take what I find useful and tactfully (or not) ignore the rest. {{sigh}} Unfortunately, as any person who has spoken to me for longer than 10 minutes will eagerly attest, I'm NOT known for my tact.

Oh well, I guess I can live with that!

The February Doldrums

2007-02-27T10:27:00.000-05:00

I have no idea what it's like to live in a part of the world that has more consistent weather than the Mid-Atlantic states. It's 40F, no wait, now it's 2F, tomorrow it may be 60F.....AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

In a nutshell - we've all been sick. Well, with the exception of John. I'm not sure if it's because, as he believes, he refuses to be sick because he doesn't have the luxury of being sick, OR if it relates to the fact that he doesn't spend hours every day holding sick children.

I've re-learned something this week, however: snot makes me stupid. I was unable to type a decent sentence, or hold a thought long enough to share the information. A friend shared her recipe for "Tomato Tea", which was touted as the answer to head/sinus congestion. It was actually effective, if one took it often enough. I didn't. That stupid thing, again. Anyway, heat tomato juice/diluted tomato soup mixed with LOTS of crushed raw garlic, lemon juice and tabasco sauce. As much tabasco as you can stand. Not only does it relieve congestion - it also keeps the vampires at bay.

Happy sniffling!

Life, part 4267

2007-02-21T12:09:00.000-05:00

Wahoo! It's a balmy 45 degrees F. outside! I'm ready to hit the beach! To say the least, my hands and feet have finally thawed out, and I've even let the woodstove have a break!

Kathryn was sick yesterday, and spent the day in my bed watching Shirley Temple movies (from my mom) and my collection of old American musicals. It's a good thing she's homeschooled - she's beginning to acquire my tendency to break into song (old songs) whenever possible. She's better today, and is attacking the new spelling/vocabulary lesson I printed out. Not singing about it, though. {{sigh}}

As for me....my to-do list is reaching alarming proportions. I suppose I could always strangle myself with it? Wait....and then, instead of the usual epithet on the headstone, the list could just be continued.....

There was a (not quite yet) old woman, who lived in a shoe...

2007-02-19T16:35:00.000-05:00

My children are now reading my "Cathy" cartoon books, as well as "Baby Blues" and "For Better or Worse" books. The books are scattered around the house, the car, in reading cubby's behind beds, and next to the bathtub. Don't get me wrong - I'm thrilled to find kids (ages 9, 7 & 5) ALL curled up with a book - but do they have to be MY BOOKS????? I don't mind when I find the 5 year old's "Captain Underpants" book crammed behind the toilet - but MY BOOKS????? How rude!

Did I mention I'm grouchy? Yup. As verified (or vilified) by my daughter, who just left in tears because I wasn't up for a FAMILY PROJECT night. Give me a break. The children have been tag-teaming me again - beginning 5 minutes after I get out of bed in the morning - whenever that may be. And since I exercised WITH them yesterday, I didn't get to stay home alone and work on my sanity. I love having a couple of hours alone to organize my thoughts, to write, to plan, to dream. Without it.....I GET CRANKY!!!!!! rucka rucka rucka... There are definite disadvantages to homeschooling.

On the upside - I actually exercised yesterday!!! Went to the Y and worked out on the machines, then did 30 minutes on the stationary bike before watching the kids in the pool. Wahoo! Of course, today I can't seem to STOP eating - so that probably negates yesterday's efforts. {{{sigh}}}

At least it's supposed to be over 50 degrees tomorrow - and the rest of the week. I'm very excited. Hopefully my hands and feet will thaw out and I'll actually get some work done! And...if it's warmer...I may be able to get up at 4am to write!

I wonder if Hemingway had these problems???

The Big Chill, Part II

2007-02-16T14:28:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, there's no great soundtrack for this one - just the sound of my teeth chattering and knees knocking. Please note- we're EXTREMELY fortunate here - we don't have the snow and ice that has crippled a great portion of Maryland - and the Northeast. But it's COLD! I'm typing at the computer, 4 feet from the woodstove, and keep making typos because my fingers are cold. I'd love to pack up the kids and go someplace warmer but A)I have to lead a 6 hour literacy training tomorrow and B)then the dogs would freeze.

We did go to co-op this morning - many, many, MANY families were absent. And didn't bother to cover their classes - so everyone was scrambling to entertain large groups of children without a lesson plan. I had 13 knee-sized mathematical whizzes in my class - many of whom couldn't get 0+?=3 or 1+1+?. I don't believe these concepts are too advanced for 5-7 year olds. I mean, ok, it's probably not IMPERATIVE that they understand addition that young - but why wouldn't they? It's a reasonable, day to day activity. Of course, I had one 6 year old who SWORE she had NO idea how to add 2+3, nor was she interested in learning how to do it. And I KNOW she does do it at home - so maybe they're all shy???? I dunno...but I have a WHOLE new respect for classroom teachers - and a greater understanding of why it's so hard to learn in a traditional classroom!

On the positive side - it was warm there. My hands weren't even chilly. If only my head didn't twitch so while I'm there!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T08:50:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is one of those weird holidays - at least to me. When I was unattached it served as a raw reminder that everyone ELSE was loved - but not me. The first few years of couplehood I reveled in V day - and we did cards and romance.

Then came children...1...2....3. (too MUCH romance, perchance???)

Valentines Day has calmed down. I did give [small] boxes of chocolate to the kids - and we'll be downloading and doing some Valentine's activities for "school" today. And I'm considering making biscotti or bread (in the shape of a heart??? awww) to take to John at work - but that may not happen. But that's it. No flowers from the gas station or a cutesy stuffed animal that sings and dances. That's just not us.

But John IS going to fix the the gaping spaces in the kitchen ceiling this weekend - we just figured out that they serve as a lovely wind tunnel when the gales turn artic. (actually, the kittens told us - by disappearing and ending up in an uninsulated storage room.) Yeah, we're not that bright, sometimes.

I must say...I'd MUCH rather have home repairs than chocolate. Besides, I can always buy myself chocolate - I can't hang drywall alone. But this isn't a Valentine's thing - although I'm taking his cheery attitude towards the weekend's adventure as the BEST present possible!

It's just life...and love.
And it's a 365 thing.
And...I like that!

Part Two

2007-02-12T16:29:00.000-05:00

This is the close up of the cake (yes cake - these are NOT real vegetables!) They're hand made of marzipan. See the whole cake in the earlier post! And, as Angela pointed out, I forgot to mention that she knits!!! Gloves, socks, everything. And boobs - she knits boobs. Uses them as bookends, actually. Her twins just try to nurse on them. Too cute!

Let Them Eat Cake!

2007-02-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

I have amazing friends. This particular friend is Angela - and she made this BIRTHDAY CAKE for her daughter's sixth birthday! The writing says "Happy Birthday Bailey", and said 6 year old REQUESTED a Chinese birthday theme. I love homeschooling! [Eat socks, Barney!] I can't get the close-up of the marzipan lo mein to load, but it is absolutely amazing!

Angela's the Martha Stewart of creativity. She sews, she cooks, she bakes....and she actually finishes things! I plan, purchase materials, and begin....and then the vision in my head collides bloodily with my actual talent -or lack thereof. I borrowed Angela's cake decorating kit to make Kathryn's birthday cake - note you NEVER saw a picture of the finished product. The kids liked it- and we'll stop there. {{{sigh}}}

I think I'll have to stick to writing. I'm actually working on a childrens' book - inspired by my find at a used book store this weekend. I came across the Coronation Souvenir Book from 1937. Wonderful articles and pictures of King George VI and the Princess Elizabeth. Now I just have to find time and space to actually be creative, which is difficult when surrounded by whining children. It's too cold for them to play outside - so they're using their favorite alternate playground, which is anywhere within three feet of ME!

John actually took all three to the YMCA yesterday - and I got 4+ blessed hours ALONE! I spent an hour simply listening to the silence, then an hour cleaning. By then, the lack of distractions had allowed my creative streak to be heard once more. I spent the next two hours crocheting, baking biscotti, and playing with different scenarios for books. I want to write. I will write. I must write!

But first, I must open the peanut butter.

Insanity, anyone???

2007-02-09T17:26:00.000-05:00

It's happened. The cold, the children and/or the day-to-day insanity have finally permuted my last vestiges of sanity. They'll find me in the spring, huddled under a down blanket clutching an empty wine bottle and my collection of "Baby Blues" cartoon books.

It's been too cold to move. The kitchen, despite my occasional efforts at shoveling off the counters, has deteriorated to "call the health department" standards. We did manage a couple of loads of laundry before the drains froze, so that's something. The wind has been so fierce that not only are the blankets covering the door swaying - the door's swaying, too!

My darling husband did come home early last night to un-freeze the drains. He had to crawl under the house - but didn't quite fit. He ended up duct-taping a hair dryer to a 2x4. I didn't notice till this morning that he left the bathroom AND bathtub filled with all his assorted tools - and never re-plugged the heater back in - so the bathroom was about 5 degrees. I decided this was my cue to NOT do laundry or take a hot bath. rucka rucka rucka. (I figure the drain has re-frozen - and that I just DON'T CARE!!!!)

I managed to haul my brood out the door BEFORE 7:30 am today to attend our weekly homeschool co-op. I tried to talk them into canceling because of the cold - but was told that's NOT an acceptable reason. Yeah, at least half the folks weren't there - something about burst water pipes and such. On the positive front - the kids were too cold to be bouncing off walls - and the "kicker" was absent.

Of course, my son, Gabriel, was kicked out of two classes today. One of them mine. He's five, and doesn't like large groups - much like his parents. His way of dealing, however, is to attach himself to my backside and whine. ?????? He was MUCH better in an alternate class. But he was also starting Tai Kwan Do - and the teacher grabbed me immediately after class, telling me my son just wasn't participating or following the instructions. Since I was busy trying to peel him off of my backside at the moment - I only agreed that he was being a PIA today. Later I talked with the teacher, and realized that he's NEVER expressed any interest in martial arts or fighting - and hates both large groups and following exacting directions. He'd much rather go under the table and read a book. A chapter book, the mother of the 5 year old bragged. (but only Scooby-Doo or Captain Underpants - so it's really not THAT impressive) I thought about it - and moved him to another, smaller class. And, he'll have one less class with "the kicker" - so that's good!

So...here I sit. Typing and drinking wine, trying to block the sounds of children playing six inches from my head. At least I hear them talking about different countries. The fire's burning happily -which means I soon have to go OUTSIDE to bring in more wood. Ugh. and brrrr.... I'd go hide in my room - but they'll need food soon. {{{sigh}}} Oh yeah, and I have to re-package the bread I brought home - the kittens tore open the bag and ate 1/4 loaf. I hate animals. And children. And cold....

If I haven't posted again in a week - send out search parties!!!!

All I want is a room somewhere..

2007-02-05T17:03:00.000-05:00

Far away from the cold night air
And an enormous chair
Oh wouldn't it be loverly?

I tried to find a picture of Eliza Doolittle warming her hands, but failed. In short - I'm COLD!!!! And I'm inside, relatively near the raging woodstove. Doesn't seem to matter, my fingers and toes are frigid. Yup, it's below 20 degrees and our walls have disappeared.

Not even tea is helping me warm up - perchance it's time for a hot bath and a cuppa something stronger??? (besides, my brown betty teapot fell apart a few days ago, so I'm back to tea bags. It's just NOT the same)

I hope it warms up soon - we're taking a field trip to Baltimore's Inner Harbor tomorrow morning, to visit the national aquarium. We haven't been to the aquarium since the kids were tiny - and that was a DISASTER! Three small children - and no strollers allowed. Hopefully, tomorrow will be MUCH better - especially because John's working, so it's just me!

Stay warm!

A Cup of Tea...

2007-02-01T16:38:00.000-05:00

A friend and her children came over to play today. It was snowing slightly, and the children were giddy with excitement - not sure if the snow or the playmates tickled them more! I made lunch, Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese, which was quite flavorful - and low in calories and fat. I'm really enjoying the recipes from Cooking Light.

A bit after lunch it was time for a cup of tea. My friend loves tea, but had never heard of my favorite company, Harney & Sons. I warned her that after experiencing the tea, she would instantly become a "tea snob" and want more. It happened. We enjoyed the last of my "Smokey Lapsang Souchong" then I showed her the Harney catalog. She's hooked. :) My favorite is "Sally's Secret", an Earl Grey mixed with rose hips. There's nothing like a good cup of tea and a good friend on a snowy day. Not even six children under the roof can diminish the pleasure! (well, ok - maybe a tad!)

The snow's gone, the friends are gone, the baked pasta and sausage dinner is almost gone. I have two kids in the tub, and another curled up on the couch, reading. Not a bad day.

Of course, homeschool co-op starts again tomorrow - and I still have to prepare for my classes. Also have to figure out if I'm going to the YMCA after co-op. We joined last night - so I have very little excuse for not getting into shape.

{{sigh}} This may call for yet another cup of tea....and perhaps some chocolate???

Brrrr...

2007-01-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

Winter has arrived! (Now just remind me why I was complaining about balmy temperatures a few weeks ago?)The children have been thrilled by a few flutterings of snow - and run outside to sled down the mudhill. (it's the Eastern Shore - we take any sledding opportunity we can get. This was a pile of dirt.)

The woodstove is running nonstop - and the woodpile decreasing at an alarming rate. After our first winter here we invested in a new woodstove that uses soapstone to retain the heat. Love this thing - you can almost always get a fire started from just a pale ember. On the down-side - it's VERY efficient - so very little heat goes up the stove pipe. Unfortunately, our house (built 1900) was designed to bleed off the heat from the chimney to warm the 2nd level. Doesn't work so well, anymore. Ah well. At least I no longer worry about the chimney getting too hot and starting a fire. (one worry down, 9764 to go)

Living in an old house is.....different. I used packing tape to cover some cracks in the living room floorboards to deter the wind. At one point, the mice and I were on a first-name basis. And whenever the temperature falls below 20 degrees, the walls disappear. Seriously. There's no way to get warm. I usually grab the kids and head for a friend's house until the artic gale disappears.

And yet, I love our house. It's a work in progress. I love the fire-engine red 4 oven AGA that fits exactly into the spot once occupied by the wood-fired cookstove. (I found a used AGA - British cookstove - in our nearest town just as we bought this house. It was fate.) I love the old houses in our village, and the differences between them. I love that our kids can run free outside, and be safe. I thoroughly enjoy our neighbors. I like NOT having a rush hour.

Just remind me of all this, the next time the temperature drops and I start searching the web for a warmer geographic location!

Let it SNOW!

2007-01-21T19:37:00.000-05:00

We have SNOW!!!! Very exciting here on the eastern shore of Maryland - we don't get much of the white stuff. I took advantage of hubby being home with the kids and hit the local Food Lion today (yeah, I know, but it's the ONLY grocery store around) and it was PACKED. Apparently an inch of snow could be a national emergency.

My new year's eating plan is going well - I think I'm down about 5lbs. Not quite sure because I bought a new scale a few days ago - and immediately went up about 7lbs. I'm rather impressed, because the weight loss included my eldest daughter's birthday week and the plethora of cake, cupcakes, fudge frosting and ice cream! [NEVER substitute egg beaters in your baking - it just doesn't work. Trust me.]

I still love the SmartGlobe by Oregon Scientific. My 5 year old was helping his father find Morocco, Turkey and Mali earlier. Gotta love it!

Ok, this seems like a boring post - or perchance a boring life. {{{sigh}}} We did go see "Arthur and the Invisibles" for Kathryn's birthday. It was quite good, although seeing Mia Farrow as Grandma is somewhat startling.

Yeah...that's all I've got. Sorry. Maybe something exciting will happen tomorrow {definition of "exciting": anything that doesn't involve cooking, cleaning, homeschooling or kamikaze kittens!}.

It's a wild, wonderful world!

2007-01-09T10:12:00.000-05:00

Or globe, actually. I had bought the kids a GeoSafari Talking Globe by Educational Insights for Christmas - and returned it 2 days later. Poorly made to begin with, the questions it shot at you resembled a nasty teacher holding a switch. Learning should be fun - so back it went.

I remembered seeing one at Costco before Christmas. I used to buy everything at Costco, but I'm now 1.5 hours away. They have a phenomenal return policy - it's still well worth the trip. At any rate, they were no longer carrying the globe in the store, but I was able to order it through www.costco.com.

The SmartGlobe by Oregon Scientific arrived yesterday - it's amazing! My kids haven't put it down. (and that's after the battery in the pen died!) By using the pen you can click on any location and learn about it - currency, time, history, amazing fact, geography, etc. It even has a pull out blow-up of the United States to learn about individual states. There's a question mode - continents (I got one wrong - apparently Australia is no longer a continent - it's part of Oceania????), countries, cities or capitals. It gives hints when you have no idea where something is. It's absolutely wonderful. And...if it ever dies....Costco will take it back - no problem.

Ah, life is good. Especially with lemon white-chocolate biscotti to munch. Enjoy!

The Healthy Eating Craze

2007-01-05T07:06:00.000-05:00

Life used to be so simple. If I was hungry I'd forage around until I found something acceptable to eat. If it was yucky I'd only eat enough to keep from fainting. If it was yummy I'd eat at much as I could hold, because you never knew when a wolverine would come around and snatch it from you! [husband and children count as would-be wolverines, just so you know. Actually I've been known to tell my kids there's nuts, or spinach, or some other entity I KNOW they won't eat in the scones or biscotti, just so I can eat more. Yes, I am evil, but I now repent.]

A few days ago, after listening to a friend, I began logging every bite I eat into this lovely free site, www.fitday.com. Who knew I was such a pig? Even on days when I think I'm eating well, my little pie showing my caloric distribution indicates half of my calories are from fat. [probably left over from the Atkins craze, when I ate all the butter and cream I wanted - and lost weight.] I'm not doing Atkins now, mostly because I LOVE baked goods - even when made with whole grains! In the last 36 hours I've made whole wheat bread and whole wheat scones, even sneaking some ground flax powder into the mix. Even got my kids to eat them by NOT putting in nuts, fruits, or coconut.

In case you didn't know, whole grains seem to be quite high in calories. I found this out when entering them into my daily food counter - YOWZA! It's hard to be healthy! I've been fighting to keep my total calories between 1500-1800. Emphasis on the fighting. Last night got an email from the girlfriend that got me on this particular bent.

"I hate when this happens. After dinner, all food accounted for, and I am at 839 calories. Obviously, I’m going to have to have another scone and a cup of hot chocolate (with marshmallows) later. I may even have to have a couple of pieces of Dove dark chocolate."

I promptly sent her off a one-word reply. I'll let your imagination figure out the word!

Go forth and eat well!

Paxton, drinking black coffee to save the calories!

Welcome 2007!

2007-01-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

It's a whole new year! (rats, that means the video store coupon expired yesterday). We celebrated the end of 2006 with a "Loser's New Years Eve Party". In other words, a party for people with young children who tend to act like wild animals (or college coeds on spring break) when in groups. The party broke up before 8:30pm - and as much as we enjoyed each other - everyone was ready to go home and muzzle, medicate or mutilate their loving offspring.

Actually, we only had 5 adults and 9 children - but I'd swear the children were multiplying. In an attempt to lower the sound intensity in the living room I amended my "NO FOOD UPSTAIRS" law and encouraged them to take a bowl of pretzels upstairs - and LEAVE US ALONE! I began to sit near the hallway door and check packages when I realized one girl (who was grinning at me in an alarming way) was trying to smuggle a huge bowl of APPLESAUCE up to the bedroom! To be honest, I haven't investigated the kids' rooms this morning - there could be worse things already up there that I totally missed (and obviously smuggled by NON-grinning children).

John made stromboli for yesterday's gathering, and I made French bread and curried chicken salad. [The recipe's from Epicurous.com - Curried Turkey salad with cashews -and is absolutely AMAZING. I've been making it for years.] We're into breads right now. I even severely wounded my 20 year old food processor this week making French bread, and was forced to order a MUCH better one. Awwwww.

Back to the New Year's bent: many people make resolutions round about now, usually involving diet and exercise. A friend told me yesterday that her family does a New Year's Family Mission Statement, then frames and mounts it in a well-viewed spot. I like the idea! Her family's 2007 is entitled, "The Zen Year", and is all about de-stressing the home and the lives of those who reside there. Mine's not done yet, but will certainly touch on the importance of a restful, organized home. We've been doing MUCH better on that. I'm thinking ours will promote creativity this year. Promoting creativity in our home [I'm gonna get the walls painted if it KILLS me], creativity in education, in the kitchen, in our art [mine's writing, John's is digital photography with post-editing]. Hmmm...needs more work. I'll let you see the finished product.

What wonderful adventures await you in 2007? Let's start planning our lives and making informed choices, rather than just drifting along!

Happy New Year!

It's THAT time of year!

2006-12-29T07:48:00.000-05:00

Anniversaries can be bittersweet. Today's December 29th....a year ago yesterday Theresa and I met at the IKEA outside of DC. We shopped, ate, played with our kids, and had a great day. Theresa was having a hard time catching her breath, and so far her doctor had been unable to figure out why. She was upset at being sick over the holidays, but determined to have fun, anyway. We went our separate ways that night, figuring we'd see each other in a few weeks (we live 2+ hours apart).

The next day, December 29th, I was cleaning and reorganizing the girls' room - and was knee-deep in assorted crap when the phone rang. It was Theresa, calling from the hospital. Her doctor had done a chest x-ray and sent her immediately to the ER. She was calling now because the doctors were scaring her. They were being very, very attentive. They were also pulling bloody fluid from her lung. None of this sounded good to me. I tried, and failed, to find someone to watch my kids so I piled them in the car and headed to Frederick. They had admitted her to the hospital, but were still running all kinds of tests. Something was going on, but they weren't telling us yet.

I returned to the hospital the next day, December 30th. Theresa was holding on to the hope that the doctors would soon tell her everything was fine, and kick her out. This had happened to me the previous year, after 12 hours of terrified hell. I had looked up "bloody lung fluid" online, and was now terrified. I now knew it couldn't be "nothing" - and was holding onto the hope that she had Lupus or TB - although the odds were slim.

She didn't. I was there when the doctor entered the room and began to tell us she had invasive breast cancer that had already spread to her lungs and spine. We sat there, weeping and terrified, trying to figure out what this really meant. We got on our cell phones, Theresa calling multiple friends and family, gathering everyone to her. I called my husband, who was busy with a new job he'd started the week before. I used the three word code that is always guaranteed to get action, "I need you". Everyone close to me knows that using this code will cause me to drop anything and everything and rally to the need at hand. My husband knew, although he had never heard me utter the words before, that he now had to do the same. He arrived three hours later.

The next couple of days are fuzzy. The only thing I really remember is going to Borders with Theresa, looking for books about dealing with breast cancer. The clerk advised us to look in the "Death and Dying" section - and I went postal. We eventually found the books in the "Health" section - where they belong! Betcha that clerk will NEVER make that mistake again! (can you say, "Crazy lady in the non-fiction section"????)

It's a year later. Theresa's in remission. She's left a bad marriage and is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Yesterday Theresa and I met at a Costco between DC and Baltimore. We shopped, laughed and ate, and eventually traded daughters. She's coming to my house later today and spending the night. I'm glad she's spending her cancerversary with me. I hope she spends many, many more here, too.

Here's to the future!

Merry Un-Christmas!

2006-12-26T14:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas is over
The goose is dead and et.
The old man has no ha-penny
The old man has more debt!

Ah, Christmas is over. Well, except for the trashed house and the distinct feeling that I've eaten waaay too many cookies. Curses on me for finally finding the stove!

It was a good Christmas, low-key and comforting. The kids finally passed out on Christmas eve after we watched "The Santa Clause" movie and tracked Santa's flight with Norad. They woke up at TWO AM, convinced it was Christmas. They were finally convinced to sleep a while longer, and managed to stay abed until the grand old hour of six am. (Theresa's kids had to be dragged from bed at 10:30am).

Everybody has their own way of handling Christmas morning. Me...I go the MEAN route. I've never liked the frenzied "gimme" approach to Christmas morning, with everyone tearing into gifts like speed demons. We start with coffee (naturally)and stockings - then the kids play with the stocking tidbits for awhile. They take turns each opening a present, and then they play with the present before moving on. The kids don't get done until afternoon. This year the kids gave gifts to the grown-ups, and were anxiously awaiting the time for "their" gifts to be opened. It was fun.

Merry Un-Christmas, and Peace on Earth, my friends!

Oh Christmas Tree

2006-12-19T10:19:00.000-05:00

Oh Christmas tree....how furry are your branches!
They dip and bounce with wild delight
The kittens playing out of sight.

Yup, we have a special tree this year, courtesy of the fuzzy wild ones. The kittens are thrilled with "their" tree - and the children spend the day re-hanging ornaments that are batted down. All the breakable ornaments stayed packed this year, and the tree is decorated with an odd assortment of cutesy and hand-made ornaments we've collected over the years. None of it my taste, actually - but I inherited them from my mom -and my kids love them. {{{sigh}}}

This is "dance hell" week at our house. The girls take both ballet and jazz, and this year the dance school decided to do a Christmas fundraiser program. They decided to put it on at the school to save money, but can only seat a limited audience, so they're doing it THREE nights - Wednesday, Thursday AND Friday. So my girls have three very long nights, plus normal classes last night and classes and dress rehearsal tonight. It's going to be a very, very long week.

Great. The kittens are wrestling....at the top of the Christmas tree. Oiy vey.

Dreams among the ashes

2006-12-15T07:22:00.000-05:00

"Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall not be disappointed."

I have no idea who said that - but he had a good point. We, in fact, did NOT get high speed internet. They couldn't find the radio signal. They've promised we will eventually get it, but no clue as to when. And, to really make matters worse, my computer's acting up and things are 10 times SLOWER than normal. And normal is pretty darn slow!

Let's see if I can find the positive....well, at least I HAVE a working computer now - it was out of order the last couple days. At least I didn't cancel the dial-up service prematurely. And at least I ........um......nope. I've got nothing. Except time to go make coffee and toast while each page loads. I'm going to weigh 400 pounds before high-speed gets here!

On the sidewalks of New York

2006-12-12T11:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we trekked to New York City. The children had never been there, John has been there twice, and I.....well I lived there for six years while I was attending graduate school. Yesterday we had tickets to Radio City Music Hall -so traveled a total of 11 hours to spend 9 hours in The Big Apple.

It was good to be back. Many things had changed - I had a hard time finding non-tourist places to eat. I did drag everyone to Hell's Kitchen to my favorite Chinese restaurant, Westside Cottage II. My girlfriend and I used to eat there frequently when we lived in Times Square. The food was delicious - and cheap; and back then they served FREE wine with dinner - as much as you wanted - and after they got to know you they gave you x-rated fortune cookies. No wine this time, but the food was excellent and they still offer the x-rated fortune cookies! John was delighted with his. Even the children said the chicken lo mein was yummy - and a woman behind the counter said she remembered me!

I did find a few small things had changed in the city, besides the local eateries. I lived there before 9-11, before cell phones, before Starbucks, and before the internet! Let's face it, people - I'm OLD! The flavor and feel of the city was unchanged, though.

I dragged my poor family for miles yesterday - literally. Gabe, my five year old, never complained once, just kept walking. Everyone was awesome. It was a good day.

Today's good, too. I got a letter from my mom -and then I called her. We're ok now, I think. And...I'm waiting for someone to come install high-speed internet!!! Wahoo!

Happy Tuesday!

Small problems

2006-12-09T09:21:00.000-05:00

I have a whole new respect for day-care providers and pre-K teachers. How do they do that everyday without large quantities of drugs and/or alcohol???

We had our homeschool co-op yesterday. This semester I'm teaching two classes, Math Games for 1st-4th graders, and a play/learn class for 3-5 year olds. Unfortunately, yesterday I also had to help out with another pre-school class. The woman teaching was running a tad late, so I was surrounded by 6 or 7 pint-sized people. One boy ran up to me, said something unintelligible, then pulled back his foot and kicked me in the shin. As my mouth dropped to the floor and I struggled for control (I figured it wasn't acceptable to kill someone else's kid) he pulled back his foot and kicked me again!!!! At this I grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him into the nearest chair - then knelt down and informed him, in my best threatening voice, that he WILL NOT kick. At this point I realized he had been demonstrating his version of karate to me, because he was quick to inform me that karate people did indeed kick. So I quickly changed my threat to, "You will NOT kick HERE!"

While I was still recuperating from this, another boy ran to the bathroom. Usually not a problem, but this 5 year old apparently is not "wiping" yet - so I was called. With my eyes watering and valiantly trying not to retch, I did the odious deed (odiferous deed?) and considered telling his mother she needed to reconsider her menu selection. Then I got to spend another hour telling children to stop putting toys in their mouths, breaking up fights, calming screaming fits, and dealing with my own whining children (who were apparently in the first stage of illness - they're now camped out on the couch, complaining.) After my last class I sought out a girlfriend and honestly informed her that if my husband were not already "altered" I would be attempting it as soon as I returned home. I think I'll stick to the older kids for a while. At least they're self-wiping.

On a more positive note - this coming Tuesday we should rejoin the 21st century - and get high-speed internet! We're so excited! We've been relegated to dial-up ever since we moved to the country -nothing else is available here. Now there's a wi-fi service that just expanded into the area! Even cell phone coverage is spotty here - it seems to depend on cloud coverage. Sometimes I get no cell signal at all, and other times I get just enough to irritate people because the conversation keeps fading out. Made it quite difficult Thanksgiving week - because Verizon had a problem and we had no phone or internet for over a WEEK! Talk about quiet! That company needs some serious competition. When they finally made it out, it was a 5 minute fix down the street. Gotta love it!

Still not running - but I am baking. Ginger-spice cookies, anyone? Tis the season to expand!

December delights

2006-12-04T13:02:00.000-05:00

Ah...cool breezes, a warm fire, hot coffee, fresh biscotti, meat-loaf and chocolate. Children flitting between learning about Greece, Charles V, multiplication and blackjack. The five year old gleefully announcing he's going "commando" today. I think I'm ready for winter. I'd even like to be snowed in for a while - although that's doubtful around here.

I did have to leave my comfortable countryside and head into civilization over the weekend. The homeschool store was having a sale - only 1 1/2 hours away! Passed by several malls on the way home - all with overflowing parking lots. Even the thought of taking the children inside had me hyperventilating. I was sooo glad to get back to the shore - and away from the crowds. Hard to believe I lived in NYC for six years. Actually, I'll be back there next week for a day. I plan on eating my way across town!

My heart's still acting up - mostly whenever I think about my mom. Apparently I'm internalizing a LOT more stress than I let on. Can anyone suggest a meditation book or dvd? If I lose myself in a book my heart rhythm returns to normal - but as soon as my brain clicks on my heart starts doing the cha-cha. I need to find something more long lasting. Lobotomy???

I need to run. Why aren't I? Let's see....1)there's a puzzle in progress on the treadmill 2)I'm nervous about exercising with the funky heart and 3)I keep procrastinating. I'm a really, really great procrastinator. The funny thing is, once I start actually DOING whatever I've been avoiding, it's NEVER as bad as I think it's going to be. I'm still my own worst enemy. {{{sigh}}} So much room for self-improvement - so little time and willpower.

Perhaps I need more chocolate???

Paxton, still un-running

Rising from the ashes...

2006-11-30T08:26:00.000-05:00

It has been an incredibly stressful month for me - so much so that my heart rhythm has been annoyingly erratic. I've fallen short of personal goals, had to bury pride and admit failure, my job funding is in jeopardy, my husband is stressed and working 80+ hours a week, my best friend STILL has stage IV cancer, and my mother disowned me - and my children - because I want to change my name to Paxton. Bad month.

And yet, as I look around me this morning, my overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude. There is so much good in my life - sometimes I just need to step back and really acknowledge it. First and foremost is my family: I'm married to my best friend - who for some bizarre reason believes I'm wonderful. We have three incredible children - and are able to homeschool them. I love watching them explore and learn. And cuddles. Cuddles are great. I also love to see all three of them (even the five year old) curled up with a book. We have a housefull of furry critters, wrapping themselves around our legs and our hearts. We have a home that, while still needing renovation (1900's house), manages to nourish our souls. I'm finally managing to keep on top of housework and food - so I feel more at peace. I have good friends - some who have been around for decades, others that will be. I have an outlet for my writing. I have people actually READING my ponderings - and telling me they enjoy them! I can't begin to explain how much joy that brings me.

Life is good. Not perfect, but that's good, too.

I even have a sport! Me - the non-athletic Un-Runner! I think it's time to start off with babysteps on that avenue, as well. I was pushing myself so hard, before. And at 5 miles I get incredible hip pain. After I did the 12.8 miles I couldn't move for two days. I think I need to get back to basics and concentrate on quality, not quantity. My run/walk ratio has decreased to mostly walking, so that I can cover the distance. It's time to concentrate on health and fitness rather than distance. It's time to start applying babysteps to other areas of my life.

It's time.

Paxton, The Un-Runner

Calling all imperfect people!

2006-11-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Yay! Some people are still out there! Thank you!

Last month I mentioned getting inundated with kittens - we actually kept TWO of them, a male and a female. The third kitten was taken directly to the animal shelter -and I was terrified for a week that more would appear. We've named the kittens Hobbs and Molly - and they're quite cute. More importantly - the children are taking care of them! The girls empty the litter box TWICE a day - one girl gets the morning, the other the evening. I ended up making chore charts for the children AND for me (because I'm brain-damaged, apparently, and stand in the middle of the room going, "What should I do now?"). They've really helped us all.

If anyone identifies with my brain-damaged approach to organization, I highly recommend www.flylady.net. She's the one who taught me the importance of babysteps. I must add, I've been learning from her for several (or more) years now - and it's just now starting to sink in. (brain-damaged AND stubborn - don't you envy me?) Actually I tend to jump off the deep end and think I can do things differently, better, by NOT following anyone else's advice. Then I get overwhelmed, then paralyzed by the thought of failing, or wiped out because of super-human effort, and end up right back where I started. I'm slooowly learning that it's better to do something, imperfectly - than to be frozen until I can do it "perfectly".

The need to be "perfect" - or at least to appear perfect - has kept me from really growing and living the life I want. I need to spend less time trying to be perfect - and more time trying to be me!

And having a cute purring kitten on your lap doesn't hurt!

Paxton

The Elusive Un-Runner

2006-11-28T13:01:00.000-05:00

So....is anybody still out there? I know I abandoned you for awhile - I'm sorry. I was having growing pains.

This blog has been about setting goals, and reaching them. About succeeding. I didn't feel worthy of posting when I wasn't successful. I'm learning to accept that part of being successful is your reaction to failure. So I'll share my recent milestones with you...

Pro: In July I could barely run/walk to the mailbox, today I've gone 12.8 miles!
Con: I had planned to go 26 miles.

Pro: I raised $1600 for The Wellness Community! Wow!
Con: I was supposed to raise $2500, and planned on $5000. Fundraising was a LOT harder than I thought. Mostly because I HATE asking people for money!

Pro: I met some great people, and had fun doing something I never thought I'd do!
Con: I'm not going to Jamaica to participate in the marathon. They offered to let me go - but this way all the money I raised goes to The Wellness Community, not my trip. I realize it was the journey that I needed - the actual event I don't mind missing.

Pro: I actually enjoy running - how weird is that?

Pro: I love writing, and having people read my ponderings.

Yes, I missed my goals - but I'm still so much better off than where I started. And so is The Wellness Community, thanks to my NOT going to Jamaica. I'm learning to take babysteps to reach my goals, and to NOT strive for perfection. It's working well at home - it's time for me to start applying that to my goals, as well. I'm NOT perfect - and I'm learning to live with it!

Let me know if you're still out there!

Paxton, The Un-Runner

Raining cats and ....

2006-10-12T06:20:00.000-05:00

I heard MORE feline screaming last night, and discovered a litter mate to our new kitten down and across the street hiding in the undercarriage of a neighbor's car. She's a lovely calico, and quite happy to see her brother again. More fleas, more ecstatic children, more decisions. Three cats seems quite....excessive. And expensive. And hairy. And....odiferous.

And....there could be MORE!

Shoot me.

Something Fuzzy this way comes...

2006-10-10T07:46:00.000-05:00

The fates are laughing at me. Laughing their butts off, actually. I was the kid who brought every animal home with me - dogs, cats, snakes, turtles - you get the idea. I loved animals. Then I grew up and moved out and discovered animals shed hair - everywhere. Hair that would turn into huge dustballs that threatened to take over the domicile. They also.....how to put this nicely....excreted. And something had to be done with this by-product - or the results were....unpleasant. I've never liked animals as much once I realized how much work was involved.

We still have animals, mind you....I just try to limit it...somewhat! We have two small dogs (a rat terrier and a shitz tzu - the small dogs seem to work better for us)and one cat (very important - since we also live in old farm house that attracts mice). The one cat is an adequate mouser, friendly, and very good about using the litter box or going outside. (very important - since when my step-son and his cats lived with us we were NOT so fortunate. Ugh!) The children have been begging for a kitten for over a year. Every time we see one - they want it. Tears, begging, the whole works. Hasn't worked - no matter how cute the critter may be. (John and I have never forgiven ourselves for letting tears talk us into the FORTH cat for said step-son: it was the cat that pushed us over the edge from "manageable" to "cat hell".) We were resolute.....one cat was our limit. Period.

Now we arrive at yesterday morning - a normal morning, by all standards. The usual clutter, chaos and overwhelming "to-do" list. Then we hear "the noise". Thinking the cat is crying to get in, I open the back door and call her, only to find her at my feet - NOT the source of the noise. I shut her in and wander outside - in my pajamas - to find the source. I instantly recognize the noise as "pissed off kitten". Great. It's not too hard to locate, as it's wedged between our house and the non-functioning hottub. We've had kittens in the neighborhood before - small feral things that were terrified of us and raced away the instant they sighted us. I wedged my body into the small space, expecting the kitten to take off and disappear. Nope. It was crying pitifully, and when I picked it up, it nuzzled against me. Great, just great. As I straightened and turned towards the door, daughter #2 spied said kitten - her face broke into a joyous smile, and she ran off to spread the news. I was suddenly surrounded by at least 20 ecstatic children - well, three children who seemed to be multiplying.

The first question, of course, is "Are we keeping it???" I refused to commit myself - but it does seem inevitable when it shows up at your door. My first terror was finding an entire litter - but we were unable to find any more. The tiny thing was no more than 5 or 6 weeks old - but was able to feed himself and use a litter box. Oh yeah - it was MALE. I've had one hard and fast rule since the first time I visited my now husband's apartment -which reeked of cat urine from his male cat - NO MALE ANIMALS!!!!! Yup, it was getting better and better. And, the icing on the cat, the tiny thing was COVERED in fleas (and is too young for chemical treatment). I spent hours bathing the kitten (not too happy, but dealt with it without hurting me) and combing him with the flea comb. I still itch.

His name is now Hobbs, after our village. The children are thrilled, the dogs are curious, and the cat is terrified. She sees the wee one and bolts away and hides. How weird. At least she's not trying to kill it, I suppose. As for us....we're resigned. If it wasn't the kitten, it would be something else. As Robert Fulgham says, "it's always something". (ok, he says it better than that!)

Running, you ask? Yeah, right. Let's just say...I'm Un-running!

Bad Parenting Award #437

2006-10-05T07:06:00.000-05:00

I have recently come to accept that I'm a grief monger. Unfortunately, I don't even do that right. The correct way is to use guilt to get your children, your husband, and anyone else in your path to do what YOU want them to do. I missed the memo where guilt was to be used to help me, and instead use it to beat myself about the head for things I SHOULD do. Or should have done. And when I forget to take the blame for something - other folks are always there to point out my shortcomings!

Case in point...I took my eldest daughter (8.75 years old)for an eye exam yesterday. I made the appointment last week, after realizing she was having difficulty reading a word across the room without moving closer. I was pretty sure she needed glasses, and spent the week convincing her it could be "cool". We even went and looked at frames so she could get an idea of what she liked. I knew I was right on when she faced her first wall chart - and couldn't read anything! Turns out her vision is 20/100. A bit worse than I was expecting. The doctor (whom I like and respect) seemed to think this was a tad negligent of me - and urged me to get the younger children tested. Actually, Jesse was just screened at the doctor's last month - and passed with 20/40 vision. The optometrist disagreed with the "pass" and feels that she needs glasses now, too. I'm not sure, especially as we homeschool and she doesn't depend on distance vision for learning.

Have you ever noticed that, as parents, we seem to be continually falling short of other peoples standards??? Even the vision tech yesterday gave me the "unbelieving stare" when I told her that it was Kathryn's choice whether to accept the eye drop dilation. That she was welcome to explain to Kathryn why it was important - but Kathryn was allowed the final choice. She chose to get the eyedrops. And later, she picked out frames she loved - even though they weren't my first choice. (I still think she was stunning in the dark purple plastic frames...ah well.)

It's funny how people differ in their interpretation of our parenting. Some think we're way too strict - because we don't have network or cable television, we don't buy the latest, greatest toys - and most of the stuff we do buy has an educational bent. Others think we let them run wild because they get to make some of their own educational choices (with the exception of grammar and math), they're never forced to sit quietly and pretend they're invisible (although that would be handy, sometimes) and they're always allowed to voice a differing opinion. They don't always - or usually - win - but they're always heard. I'm learning - as they grow and explore their world - more of what I want to be when I finally grow up. :)

Oh yeah, running! Yup, I'll have time today to do some of that! Tune in later!

My achey breaky.......everything!

2006-10-03T06:56:00.000-05:00

Why do we push our bodies past the point of pain? Voluntarily!!!! I just don't get it. Case in point: I pushed this body almost 10 miles last Saturday - on purpose! I jogged/walked (heavy emphasis on the walked) the looong way into town, around town then back home. I did stop to visit the library's book sale while in town - I'm sure I was lovely - then stashed the books on a friend's porch for later retrieval. Why can't there be a reading marathon??? That I could do at full speed, without needing a chiropractor.

I've discovered my body can go 5-7 miles and maintain that positive, athletic "high". Whereas 3 months ago that "high" disappeared after 5-7 steps. But I've gone beyond 7 miles 3 times now - and every time is painful. Two 8 milers and the 9+... and the pain always starts in my hips then travels down my legs. What is this??? I'm wearing good shoes (i.e. expensive, ugly and fit by a professional). I'm now using the energy gels - which really help. I've slowed down the pace so much I may as well be crawling - and my body still gives out after 7 miles. I even sat in a cold bath (after stretching) because someone told me that would help! Brrrrr!!!

I know I need to do more short runs during the week - I've been having difficulties fitting them in. Yesterday I managed a 20 minute jaunt with my daughter - barely got my heart rate up.

I need to find a way to increase my mileage without pain - or I'm going to have to cut down to completing only a half marathon. I can probably drag myself the 13 miles - but not another 13. I have a few more weeks to decide - so I need answers fast!

On the positive side - after my run we went to Salisbury and walked around the mall (hey - I needed the exercise). My husband talked me into trying the water massage table there. For five minutes water beat down on my back, legs, and the soles of my feet. The first few passes were painful - John was going to turn the water pressure down, but I wouldn't let him. By the time I was done, however, I felt great! I was loose and pain-free - at least until I sat for an hour to eat dinner. By then I could barely move - again.

On the non-running front - or my real life - I seem to be losing neurons at an alarming rate. I've been drinking extra coffee, trying to get the brain and body working again - to no avail. I'm forgetting to do things, even after making a list. I'm forgetting HOW to do things. Can't find anything - even if I just sat it down. Decided yesterday that a hot cup of tea might help - and a hot bath! I put the water on to boil then sat down to work on the computer - and remembered the water an hour later. Poured the water into the tea, started running the tub, and remembered the tea an hour later. It was a tad too strong for my taste by then. Put some pita bread in the AGA to toast while I was re-heating the chili for lunch - and remembered it around dinner time. Can you say, "charcoal triangles"???? The AGA vents outside, so you never smell anything burning.

Had my husband in stitches when I confessed my day's activities. He's always said he's going to marry a stupid woman next time - so he was pretty tickled about my brain's demise. Not sure he was so thrilled this morning - when he was not only without clean socks in his sock drawer - but I was unable to find a matching pair of socks anywhere. I'm telling you - stupid isn't what it's cracked up to being!

Oh well....at least I haven't lost any children....YET!!!

Hope my happenings make you smile - or at least be grateful for YOUR life! Now I just have to remember to actually POST this message.......

A change of scenery...

2006-09-25T07:11:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lapse folks....I had an incredibly busy AND productive week - then collapsed Friday afternoon - and didn't feel better until Sunday. I did manage a run yesterday, though - on my own. I ran into our nearest town, visited a friend briefly, than pretty much walked home. I think it was around 8 miles - I'll have to check with the car. It was a LOT more fun heading into town - and having a water stop. It was also MUCH better on my own - at my own pace. I felt like I was accomplishing something - and wasn't worried about my speed or keeping up with a group. I wonder if I'm better off on my own, rather than driving an hour each way to do the group runs???

I was planning on participating in my first 5K race on Saturday - but since I couldn't stand upright - I figured running was out. I'll have to find another one - but that shouldn't be difficult - it seems to be race season!

Now I'm back into the craziness of the week - and working hard at being productive. Ok, to be fair - at this point I'm still planning on being productive - the work hasn't actually started yet!

Did I mention how nice it was run/walking in the cool weather yesterday, enjoying the breeze and the scenery, without stressing myself out to do better? How delightful. I wonder if this is why people run?

Baby steps....again.

2006-09-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

I'm working on getting back in shape...slowly. I managed a half hour run yesterday - though it was broken up by the power flickering off. I'm drinking more water, and eating healthier foods.

Of course, my five year old has a fever today - which means I've spent the last 4 hours holding him - so my run (and diet) for today could be in jeopardy! I spent the time reading up on nutrition and diet - I need encouragement to eat well! And...as long as I leave the spinach out for a while - all should be good!

Baby steps....I can do this! (albeit SLOWER than most people!!!)

Some days you tear up the road.....

2006-09-17T10:10:00.000-05:00

And some days the road tears up YOU! Guess who's ahead in THIS race???

Had my group run yesterday. A mere 8 miles - I was much relieved. There were even 3 other gals there who do the run/walk routine - perfect!

Or not. First of all - they run for 5, walk for three. And it's a faster pace run than I do when I'm going for distance. I maintained about 3 miles - then bailed at the drink stop and waited for the walking group.

They left me in the dirt, too.

The further I went, the more body parts that hurt, and the slower I went. I was tempted to call for a pick-up but told myself I'd feel better if I actually accomplished my goal, rather than giving up. I finished the 8 miles - but felt no joy in mudville. In retrospect, I wish I'd called for a pickup. At least my hips wouldn't hurt so much. Turns out I couldn't have called - my cell phone died. Totally died - not just out of battery. So...yet another thing on the "to-do" list for tomorrow.

And THEN I had to drag my body through 4 different stores, doing the weekly shopping for my family. And it kept raining. I finally got home, soaked in a hot bath, then collapsed into a chair.

I feel....inept. I figure I had a hard run because I've had such a hard two weeks. Not enough exercise, water or decent food - but too much stress and running around. But it still makes me doubt if I can do 26 miles. EVERYONE else is only doing 13 - and they're doing it better than me. I just don't know.

Just found out my friend with cancer is NOT going to do the marathon. She's worried about fund-raising. I understand...but I was looking forward to seeing Jamaica with her. My husband can't go - because of the kids. So...I'll be alone. :(

At anyrate...at the moment I'm doubting my ability to fundraise, run 26 miles, train, work, and keep up with the house and kids. The only thing I'm NOT doubting...is my ability to mess up. How comforting.

Well, as the song goes, "Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug."

Hang in there,
The Bug

A new week...

2006-09-11T07:17:00.000-05:00

Let's see....life lessons: ummm....don't overcommit.....learn to juggle....drink LOTS of water....schedule regular time for exercise....eat healthy food! Pretty much the opposite of EVERYTHING I did last week.

I survived the week. I got everything done I HAD to get done (and NOTHING else). Including more running. I couldn't go to the group run on Saturday - had to give a six hour training class and then go to a pig roast in support of my girlfriend's marathon. Yesterday (Sunday) I crashed. Literally. Could barely lift my arms - let along my feet to run. I feel better today - although a whole new "to-do" list has started. Oiy.

I have to say, I was also intimidated by the goal of 12-14 miles - since my longest is 7 miles. I think I'll take your advice - and just shoot for 8-9 miles. Safe is more important than distance!

If you're new, please check out my cancer webpage at www.firstgiving.com/neversettle
And thank you for your support!

Uh-oh.

2006-09-07T19:50:00.000-05:00

I've been on the run this entire day - but no actual running occurred. {{{sigh}}} Kids are finally in (or near) bed - and I'm working on materials for tomorrow's classes (teaching two classes to homeschoolers). Tried to buy some fudge for my kids at Baltimore's Inner Harbor - and the pushy saleswoman tried to guilt and manipulate me into buying more. Excuse me? And I didn't walk away - because my kids really wanted this fudge by now! But how dare someone encourage my kids to demand more???? Worse part - I was too tired to let her have it. I quietly told her she was about to lose any sale, and she eventually shut up - but I would have dearly loved to make a scene. {{{sigh}}}

And...just received an email from the Wellness Community. I was so happy about running 7 miles last Saturday - and planned to run 8-9 this week (can't make group run - have to work). Just found out they're planning on running 12 - 14 miles!!! I think they did 6 last time! I'm really apprehensive. First - I'll be alone. And second....from 7 to 12 miles???? That's really a jump. I just don't know.

Well, I survived taking 3 kids to the Inner Harbor alone - how bad can 12 miles be??? At least it will be child-free! I won't have time to do this until Sunday - so I can worry about for another 3 days!

Wow, I really shouldn't write when I'm this tired! Sorry, folks! I'll have better sentence structure next time!

Running lite

2006-09-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

Too busy, stressed out and crazy for a real run (anyone wanna buy 3 cute kids - cheap!!!) But I had to de-stress before leaving for work - so took a 15 minute "mini-run". Decided that since I couldn't run long - I'd run fast! After a 5 minute warm-up I ran for 10 straight minutes!!! My longest is 2 minutes - usually 4 mph. This one varied from 4-6 mph - and I used 4mph as my recover pace! No walking!!!!

Tomorrow I'll try this again for 10 minutes - then walk for 3 and try running for another 10!

I'll get there! (and my children may fare better because of it!)

And the rains came tumbling down...

2006-09-03T11:38:00.000-05:00

Wind....rain....flying tree limbs....driving rain.....wind making a 106 year old house whistle. Yup...that would be Ernesto!

I opted out the group run yesterday - couldn't face driving in the rain OR running in it! However....I went SEVEN MILES on the treadmill!!!!! Wahoo!!!! The first 2.5 miles were a struggle - than I hit my stride. It took a long time - but I got there and felt great!!! My left knee is a tad sore - why is it always the left side that hurts? Foot issue?

After the first few miles I settled into a 1 minute jog: 1 minute walk pattern. The two minutes running get to me after a while - but I can maintain the 1:1 ratio. I think I'll work on speed and increased ratios during the week - and then see what happens for the long run.

Seven miles.....WOW!!!! That's.......forever. (or almost!)

Hectic days are here again...

2006-08-31T05:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing exciting on the running front....except I need to do more of it! Thirty minutes on the treadmill has been my best this week. Yeesh.

Hectic day: taking the kids to a butterfly garden about 2 hours away (homeschool field trip) and tonight I have an interview with a cable show yet another hour away - but in the opposite direction! I'll be talking about the marathon, The Wellness Center, and why I'm running. I have doubts that anyone will actually see the interview - I think it will air in about 10 days - but at least I'll be getting out there and talking!

We're getting back into the fall swing...homeschool...dance...co-op.... library....work....fundraising.....I need a vacation!

Owies and Questions

2006-08-28T06:49:00.000-05:00

Can you say, "OUCH!"? Let's see...yesterday I did some cross-training - biking. No big deal - except they just tarred and chipped our road - and biking on it is sort of like biking through....sand?...mud?.....quicksand??? At any rate - it's nasty! I could have walked faster than I was peddling! Only went 4 miles, and my legs were burning when I returned home. So much so that I misjudged my dismount and hit the concrete slab going into our garage. I was thrown forward, cracked my pubic bone on the bike (again with the OUCH) then fell off the bike into the mosquito magnet with the bike and my legs in a tangled heap. Yeesh.

This morning I arose at 5am to run. Dressed and prepared to leave - realized it was raining. Decided "real runners" don't let a little rain stop them, and went anyway! Yeah!

Did I mention it was dark? Really, really dark? Think dark country road, middle of nowhere, with a nasty re-chipped road (and no shoulders!). The cars were freaking me out - so I was hugging the edge of the road when one approached - sometimes stepping into the weeds. Since I couldn't see where I was going, I ended up wrenching my knee by stepping in a hole or a rut or something. I hobbled home and applied ice - it doesn't feel too bad at the moment.

The question is...I know people run in the dark. How??? What do I need? I didn't feel safe - and obviously wasn't. By the time it's light my husband is getting ready to leave the house and I have no time for a run.

By the way...I really, really hate the new road surface.

Happy Monday, everyone! If you're new, please check my cancer page at www.firstgiving.com/neversettle

Thank you!

Wait for it....

2006-08-26T16:16:00.000-05:00

I walked/jogged 5.75 miles today! Wahoo!!! This was our group run - but I was the only non-walker. Worked out great, because our trainer, Harlan Eagle, just ran with me! I started w/ walk/jog ratios of 1:3, and ended up with 2.5:2.5. (that means I jogged 2.5 minutes, then walked 2.5 minutes. I even sprinted the last bit! (well - I started to sprint, felt great, and then my heart decided I was being a bit stupid and reminded me to take it slow by trying to jump out of my throat!)

We did all of our stretching back at The Wellness Center, then I left to do my crazy Saturday grocery run. Crazy because sane people know better than to shop on Saturday!

I still feel good - though I'm tired. And it's evening - so the kids are acting wild and crazy. The nighttime frenzies just started a week or so ago - and I am SO ready for them to be over!!!

I went 5.75 miles...wow!!!!!!

Happy Days are Here Again!

2006-08-24T06:33:00.000-05:00

What a difference a day makes! (to really get the effect - you MUST sing those 2 lines - go back - sing them.....I'll wait.........Thank you! Now we're having an actual chat - and you're being forced to listen to me sing. Ah.)

I'm doing MUCH better now - the marathon cleaning put the house under control - and I have a system for management that seems doable - but time will be the test. I did run that night - with three little kids and two small dogs. Our first family fitness run! (the kids finally got decent sneakers - New Balance) It was....interesting. I had two dogs on leashes in my left hand, and Gabriel hanging on to my right. We did a walk/slow jog/walk/slow walk/stop/slow jog/turn around cause kids are whining/walk kind of thing. It wasn't bad, for a first attempt. I think the dogs got the most exercise. (rat terrier and shitz tzu - needed lots of steps to keep up!)

Yesterday was Gabe's 5th birthday - and our 10th wedding anniversary. (how was THAT for good timing? Our third child was born on our 5th wedding anniversary - at home!) John took off work early and we all went to the zoo to celebrate.

I also managed to run 3 miles on the treadmill. I sloooowed down my jogging pace and am working on less frequent walk breaks. Oiy. I have so far to go. It's a good thing I have the marathon as a goal - I don't think I'd push myself otherwise.

And yet....when I run...I also keep on top of the house....which then allows me the space and organization to homeschool, to work, to create and to dream. The running and the house fell apart simultaneously - I wonder which triggers the other? Or does the mental funk come first - and everything falls apart around that? Hmmm...

Thank you for your support, and thanks for checking out my cancer page at www.firstgiving.com/neversettle.

Shades of blue

2006-08-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

I'm having a deep blue funky kind of day. Haven't run yet - hopefully that will help. I've been marathon cleaning all day, trying to re-establish order. It feels as satisfying - and long lasting - as nailing jello to a tree. {{{sigh}}}

I'm working on improving my ability to juggle many different things - without messing up everything. I have no clue how some people do everything so...effortlessly. It seems as if as soon as I focus on one thing - three other things fall apart. I have made anal list after anal list....I just need to pick one and commit to it!

Another reason for the funk...Theresa found out that a young woman she had met and talked with at a cancer support group died -leaving 2 very young children. Yet another casualty of breast cancer. We've read her online journal - which is being kept up by her husband. It's heart breaking. And terrifying.

I've noticed that the less empowered I feel, the more disorganized I become -and more likely to have a "bad cancer day". For you lucky ones that don't know what that entails... it means panic breathing, overwhelming memories of a terrifying diagnosis, and sleepless nights as you fear the future. [For any newbies: I don't have cancer - but my best friend was diagnosed 8 months ago with Stage IV breast cancer - at age 34. She's doing great, although she's considered "incurable"]

I need to run. Far, fast and furious.

On an up note...my husband, John, completed the metric century bike ride in Lancaster, PA on Sunday. 65 miles - and according to John - 62 of them were uphill! Way to go, Sweetie!

And a jogger is born...

2006-08-19T17:00:00.000-05:00

I went over 4 miles today! (we got mixed up and went a bit further than the allotted four miles) As I mentioned previously - I'm with the walking group. I walked the first 2 mile loop with them, then started a slow jog. One of the trainers joined me - and I jogged a LOT more than my norm! I still walked occasionally when my heart rate needed controlling, but I didn't walk long! It really was much easier with someone else next to me!

I felt great!
Then.

I noticed some muscle stiffness an hour after the run (and a mysterious sharp groin pain that thankfully hasn't reappeared) but nothing unusual. Finished my errands and arrived home three hours later - and am now moving like Grandma Moses! Nothing overly painful - but I start to jump up out of the chair - and nothing happens! "Oh yeah...slooowly does it!" The funny thing is....the aches make me smile!

No one warned me of these strange feelings. Hurting feels good??? And I must confess: I bought a Trail Runners magazine today and began reading about crazy people who run 50 or 100 miles up mountains. The really strange thing - I began looking for similar trails for me to train on! "Hello, do I know you??? You resemble a sane womyn I once knew!"

I also signed up my girls for dance classes today...they're both in Ballet and Jazz. Gabe tried it last year - but wasn't impressed. (also...can't really follow directions that well yet)We go to this great dance studio in Easton called "Dance Harrison Street". It's my third year there - and I'm continually impressed by the quality of the instruction and the choreography. Kathryn's really into it - and wants to be a ballerina. I'm not sure they have 6 foot ballerina's - but she's certainly graceful enough.

John's loading his truck - he and a buddy are leaving at 3:30 am for a Metric Century Bike Ride in Lancaster, PA. He's really excited - he hasn't done anything like this before. I bought him quite a few gels (and a spare inner tube) this morning. I haven't tried the gels - haven't really run far enough to need them yet. I'll have to start soon though - apparently it's NOT a good idea to save them for race day!

Have a peaceful Sunday!

Oh yeah....in case you were wondering....the septic guys WERE delightful....and quite needed. {{{SMILE}}} I can now wash and flush with the best of them. John's still not convinced, however. (but he did all the laundry while I was running - so I'm going to have to keep him!)

Of ships and sails and septic tanks...

2006-08-18T11:59:00.000-05:00

This STINKS! Literally. I'm waiting for the lovely Mr. Rooter and his delightful septic cleaning devices. Actually, I have no clue if Rooter and crew are delightful or not - but I'm anticipating being able to do mountains of laundry, bathe three stinky children, and flush a toilet without praying. My husband, of the engineering/coding mindset, believes that a properly installed septic system should never require maintenance. The rest of the civilized world, it seems, believes otherwise. After yelling at my four year old this morning - for FLUSHING the toilet (usually yelling at him for NOT flushing) I gave up and made the call. Now I'm hoping that Mr. Rooter finds the septic system in desperate need of attention - or they'll be no living with my husband - who still thinks he can fix this. Oiy.

I did my 30 minutes on the treadmill this morning - only interrupted three times. Not too bad! I have my long group run tomorrow - I think it's 4 miles. The more active I become, the less my heart arythmia has been acting up. Too cool!

I also have Summerfest today and tomorrow - Denton's summer festival. I'm helping man the Mid-Shore Adult Education booth. Supposed to help set up - I hope Mr. Rooter arrives soon!

Ugh! My children are eating coffee beans! Isn't that bizarre? I'm a coffee lover/fanatic from waaay back (and usually take it without cream and sugar) - so when they started munching away on the beans as toddlers I eagerly joined in. DISGUSTING! Definitely needs to be chocolate covered! They love them. All three kids. Weirdos.

Please remember to check out my cancer webpage: www.firstgiving.com/neversettle

Thanks!

Pictures!

2006-08-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

Hooray! I've finally figured out how to upload a picture! Now to get it moved over to the "About Me" column. Hmmm....

I've been spending 30 minutes on the treadmill each day. I'll do longer runs twice a week. It's difficult to get 30 minutes without one or more children needing an immediate answer to mind-boggling questions such as, "Is it my turn on the computer?, Did you tell Gabe he could jump on the furniture? Can I eat candy until my eyes bug out???"

We attempted to get a picture with the children - as you can tell, 2/3 of the group aren't thrilled with the idea!

From left to right we have Kathryn (8), Jesse (7) and Gabriel (4). He'll be 5 next week. While we were out running around yesterday at least 5 different people informed my children that "School starts next week!" (Did you notice this is always imparted with a gleeful chuckle?) Anyway, I had to keep explaining that we homeschool - which just got confused looks. I'm not sure if they didn't understand the concept, or were shocked that I appeared normal but was, most certainly, insane. One guy talking to them was a math teacher who asked, "Do you have someone teaching you math???" [Duh! Whadda they need math for? They gots 10 fingers and toes to count on!] When he found out we were working on Fibonacci numbers, he suddenly looked interested. Yeesh.

Hmmm...the kids are all wearing swimsuits and sporting gooey white noses (a tad too much suncscreen) I guess that means my computer time is officially up!

Enjoy!

Rucka rucka rucka

2006-08-14T17:55:00.000-05:00

I did NOT have a good day today. Cranky children, clogged pipes and more bills. Drove an hour to pick up the dogs from the kennel - and the bill was twice what I was expecting! It seems that I paid dearly for the "convenience" of not taking them to my vet and instead letting the kennel update the shots.

Finally got back home - tired, discouraged and cranky. I was tempted to collapse on the couch with a good book and just be miserable all night. Decided to hit the treadmill instead - and realized it has been a long time since I had a solid, timed run. I only did 2 miles (in 30 minutes) but I feel SO much better! Aaaahhh. Tomorrow I'll go for three!

Did I mention...it's good to be home?

There's No Place Like Home!

2006-08-13T07:05:00.000-05:00

Yay! Vacation is over! Yesterday I spent 13 hours traveling with one husband and three children. Nuff said?

We were in the coal-mining mountains of SW Virginia - with the occasional drive to Tennessee. It's a curious area. Absolutely gorgeous hills and mountains - kudzu covering almost everything - tiny, shack like houses or trailers with two satellite dishes (I guess because of all the mountains?) and the most beautiful lawns you've ever seen (all on hills you'd think would require goats for maintenance!). My in-laws live at the top of a mountain in the middle of no-where - and they have city water and sewage, cable tv and access to high-speed internet! I can't get high-speed internet - and we have a well and septic system! What is this??? Yeesh.

I worked on my hillwork a couple of times - the hills were so pretty it was easy! And....my husband ran with me once. He's in training for a 100 mile bike trek - and is up to about 40 miles - so he was feeling fairly competent. Nope! He says running is a totally different animal - he felt so out of shape. I felt GREAT (na-na-na NAH na!) He's quite competitive - so I know he'll eventually leave me in the dust - but I enjoyed the moment!

Spent a LOT of time playing with the kids - soccer and badminton. We really got into the badminton - it was great! I couldn't have done it a month ago - my health and fitness have really improved since I started running! And....I'm still such a beginner! I have so far to go - how fit will I be feeling then??? Wow - it's mind boggling!

Now...on to business. As you know, I'm running this marathon to raise money for The Wellness Center, in support of my best friend who's dealing with stage IV breast cancer at age 35. This morning I realized I had received another donation on my fundraising page from a complete stranger who's also dealing with Stage IV breast cancer. I was trying to thank her (a stock thank you goes out immediately) but realized the webpage protects the email address of supporters, and I have no way of contacting anyone! I don't know how people reach my blog and my donor page - but I'm so grateful for everyone's support -financial and emotional.

Cancer sucks. It's devastating, it's potentially life-threatening and it's everywhere. No one is safe. It does have some redeeming features, however. Cancer makes you re-evaluate your life and your choices - you start deciding how you want to spend your days and your moments - rather than just going with the flow. You find strength in yourself you never knew existed - and can get a taste of just how powerful you are.

Cancer got me to run. My fitness level was pathetic - but the thought of fighting cancer got me to propel my feet to the next telephone pole. Cancer is getting me out of my dream world - and encouraging me to make those dreams a reality. I don't have cancer - but I still have only a limited number of days - and I want those days to count.

I don't have the skills or the genius to cure cancer. But I do have the ability to encourage others to make every day count - to seek out and live a life with purpose. This is our shot, our time in the sun. It doesn't matter where we start or what obstacles are placed in front of us. It only matters to find something we believe in - and pursue it with every fiber of our being. Like running - it's the journey, not the finish line - that matters.

Please visit my fundraising page: www.firstgiving.com/neversettle

Vacation Time!

2006-08-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

My long Monday run was cut short this morning. I managed 3 miles in 45 minutes - had to walk the last half due to mysterious sharp pains under my left knee. It began to rain about halfway, too - a gentle, spirit cleansing sprinkle that was delightful! It's funny....I used to feel sorry for runners/walkers trodding through the rain. Today I was feeling distinctly sorry for the poor souls racing by in their cars!

We leave in the morning for vacation. I could say I'll be off on some exotic adventure - but I'm not sure exotic is the correct adjective. I'll be visiting the in-laws in the south-west mountains of Virginia - after spending 10 hours trapped in a car with three children. It will be hair-raising - how about that???

No computer access in the mountains - but plenty of time to do my hillwork! Hopefully my husband will have time to take pictures for the blog and website, too! I'll see you next week!

Don't forget my website: www.firstgiving.com/neversettle

Thanks!

Life is Good!

2006-08-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

I had my first group run today! Even the weather cooperated, and stayed in the 80's. I actually only went 2 miles, because I ended up with the group planning on doing a half-marathon. But the other group consisted of the trainer, two 18 year old male athletes, and a marine. A little out of my league! I'll do my 4 mile loop on Monday morning - hopefully a little faster than last week!

It's wild....I feel really good about myself and what I'm doing! And my body already seems stronger, more powerful.

Life is good.

Oh, yeah...check out my webpage at www.firstgiving.com/neversettle

Thanks!

"You have the right to remain silent...."

2006-08-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

I confess...I did not run, walk or work out today...but had an adrenaline rush and speeding heartrate just the same.

A friend and I took our SIX children shopping, and then returned to our small, quiet town. Seriously, Halloween in this town (Denton, MD) is like a Norman Rockwell painting - tons of kids going to big old houses where folks are sitting with music, candy and good cheer. It's too, too cute.

Anyway...the kids were inside and we were unloading the tightly packed minivan when the road erupted with police cars, both local and state. They were pulling over an old car with 3 folks inside, and as we watched, ANOTHER group of cops - these guys wearing ski masks and flak vests labeled "Drug Task Force" ran to the scene - literally feet in front of us! (I must admit, I was hiding behind the corner of the house, ready to dive into the trashcans at the first evidence of a scuffle!) We eventually moved inside and watched the drama from the front window. The police sat a large bag of clear vials that they had removed from the girl (who was wearing really tight clothes and hiding the drugs where????) on top of my friend's car. The girl was carted away, another young man eventually uncuffed and set free.

I must say...I'm glad I live 3 miles OUT of town! Most of our excitement involves me chasing one of our dogs down the road - and the dog laughing. I lived in NYC for six years - and never got to witness a drug bust up close and personal (a sale, perhaps). I'm telling you...if you want real excitement...head for the country!

On another point...I may not have worked out today...but I worked on the CONCEPT of working out! (think that counts?) I called the YMCA with some questions about their family membership and their committment to their logo..."Building strong kids, strong families and strong communities". Yeah, as long as you don't homeschool. Currently they only offer childcare through age 5, children are not permitted to be unaccompanied in the facility, and children under 13 are not permitted in the classes or the fitness room. So....it won't work for me. {{{Sigh}}}

Oh well, have to find a way to work out WITH chidren in tow!

Out of the Frying Pan...

2006-08-02T08:18:00.000-05:00

I walked outside at 5:45 am this morning.....and my glasses fogged up!!! This is crazy! It felt like someone was throwing a damp heavy towel over my face! I went for a short bike ride (cross-training, anyone?), grateful for the artificial breeze. There's no way I could have run in this weather - my heart just isn't up to that abuse, yet! I used to fantasize about moving to Alaska - maybe I should re-consider my geography???

I have my first official training run this Saturday, in Salisbury. I must admit...I'm nervous. It's only 3 miles (did I just say ONLY???? WOW....I must be improving!) but it starts at 8 am - and it's certainly hot by then. I hope I don't embarrass myself too badly!

I really need another way to run and cross-train. I can't use the treadmill in this heat (no a/c) and it's too hot to take the kids biking (which is too slow, anyway). I'll figure it out. We may join the YMCA in September - which doesn't help me now. I know, I'll get an aerobic dvd! That will help my cardio - and can be done in air conditioning! Gentle people, we have a plan!

I'm surrounded by children wearing bathing suits and slathering on sunscreen - think they're trying to tell me something???

Monday Morning Madness

2006-07-31T12:41:00.000-05:00

I went 4.1 miles this morning! Wahoo!!! [Please note: I did NOT say I RAN 4.1 miles. I walked, jogged some, walked, jogged, ran a wee bit, walked a LOT more! But I got there!]

I had just cleared the neighborhood at 5:45am - was in the middle of two corn fields - when I heard a truck approaching behind me and slowing down! The work truck actually stopped NEXT to me! I took a deep breath and turned with my best "tough" look - only to find a guy I've known for over 30 years! We both lived in Baltimore, and our families were close. I later "adopted" the family, and this guy became my youngest brother. We both live on the Eastern Shore now - but rarely see each other. And here he recognized me from behind before dawn! I told him to bring coffee next time! As I walked on, I also got to enjoy birds, deer and frogs! (but didn't know any of them!)

Had a good weekend, too! Taught a training all day Saturday, and didn't have anyone quit on me! (I coordinate Mid-Shore Project Read; a volunteer adult literacy program) When I got home Saturday, an old roommate had called to say she would be in the area that evening, and wanted to go to dinner. We had a great time! I hadn't seen her in about 8 years.

Yesterday we finally had the bike trip with T and her gang - at Patapsco Valley State Park. It was quite hot - and the kids (all 5 of em) petered out quickly in favor of playing in the stream/river. On the way home we discovered Arundal Mills Mall - what a find! I didn't know there were any "Books a Million" stores out here! Found a great book, "Galloway's Book of Running" - he gives a lot of information! We also found another Costco store there - always a find! We were all beat when we finally arrived home!

Ahhhhh. A good weekend.